


Every Once in a While

by euphemitter



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Rituals, Omega Verse, Pack Bonding, Pack Dynamics, Rituals, Slow Burn, Smut, Wolf Pack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-07-24 18:00:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 25,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7517899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/euphemitter/pseuds/euphemitter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jaehyun is left to find a new sense of normalcy after his parents drive him out of his old pack. Somewhere along the line, he meets Taeyong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Take Your Leave

Jaehyun wonders if they’ll take him back if he apologizes.

 

He’s currently trying to navigate his way out of the vast forest to where the humans lived, hoping they will take him in. Maybe if he gives them a show, they’ll at least accept him for a little while. 

 

Jaehyun’s sense of smell had been cut before he had been driven out of his pack’s territory, so he truthfully didn’t know where he was heading. His heart ached painfully, from being disconnected from his friends and former family so suddenly. After all, he was young. 

 

He loathed his traditionalist family structure, although he couldn’t exactly blame them, either. Jaehyun had been the firstborn to the head family of one of the most esteemed, powerful wolf packs for miles and miles around. Typically, the firstborn would become the heir to the pack after their parents passed. 

 

Life had been moving on perfectly until he had presented as an omega, going into heat, just the night before. His father had immediately detected his scent and barged into his room, trailed closely by his mother. Some time passed, and as his parents argued loudly, a grim-faced healer entered his room. Jaehyun, still in shock and confusion had been injected with something that stopped his heat almost immediately. Another injection had stopped his olfactory abilities. The healer had wordlessly taken her leave almost immediately afterwards, disposing the empty syringes in a trash bin as she walked out. 

 

His father had turned to face him, screaming at him with wild eyes about how he  _ should have known _ , how he should have told Jaehyun to _ toughen up _ . It was startling, how much disappointment his parents had for him all of a sudden, just because Jaehyun was an  _ omega _ .   

 

He grabbed Jaehyun and began to beat him, landing several heavy blows to his abdomen and chest. Jaehyun tried to yell back at him through all his pain, tell him to  _ stop _ , that he wasn’t thinking it through, but there were hands at his throat, pinning him high on the wall. He strained back against his father, but knew it would be useless. “You were always so fucking  _ weak _ ! I should have known you were  _ defective  _ and gotten rid of you earlier,” Jaehyun heard faintly. His ears felt like they were getting plugged by cotton as his vision started to become fuzzier. He looked to his mother with desperate, teary eyes, but she stood motionlessly at the doorway, arms crossed, eyes stony.

 

Jaehyun wasn’t able to breathe properly, but before he passed out, his father threw him against the opposite wall. His head collided with the hard wood surface, and he cried out in pain. 

 

“What are you doing? Dad, what are you doing?” Jaehyun choked out, curling in on himself in fear, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. The pain that shot through his body at that moment was immense, and he almost blacked out from it alone.

 

His father then spat at him that he was no longer welcome on pack territory, that he was no longer a part of it, and that he was no longer his father, before storming out of the room. Those words had been piercing to Jaehyun’s heart, but he tried to steel himself. Crying was something his father had prohibited him from doing since he was a child.  _ Take your anger and your sadness out on your prey when you go hunting _ , he’d always tell him.

 

Contrary to his father’s reaction, his mother kept a relatively calm head. She didn’t meet his eyes when she tossed an old leather satchel on his body, telling him to pack whatever he wanted to take.  _ After you take your things, leave immediately and don’t come back. You are no longer associated with our pack.  _ And she left the room as well, her long, golden hair fanning out behind her back.

 

Jaehyun let his tears come out after they left the room, and he was hiccupping and choking on his own spit. Every time he hiccupped or shivered, he cried even harder. The pain in his chest was horrible, worse than anything he had ever experienced before. It hurt whenever he moved, and crying only made it worse. Slowly, shakily, Jaehyun grabbed some of his favorite clothes and, after a moment of hesitation, some items of sentimental value. He figured that after he left, his parents would throw them all out, and they didn’t deserve to have that happen to them.

 

When he hobbled outside, hand clutching at his side, it was dark. Without his sense of smell, he was disoriented and lost. He didn’t stop moving even when he passed by his best friend’s home. He couldn’t tell, anyways, without scenting it, so he didn’t allow his mind to dwell on the subject. He stumbled around until he couldn’t see any dens anymore, until it was all naked tree trunks and dead leaf litter. Tears were still streaming down his cheeks, dripping down his chin, some landing down to the ground while others slid down his neck, down his shirt. He had managed to get his shaking under control, mostly because the pain that it caused was physically unbearable for him. 

 

Jaehyun’s mind was still in heavy denial of it all. Everything had happened so quickly,  _ too quickly _ . There was no time to make plans for the future. He didn’t know if he was still in his pack’s territory, so he kept on going, even when he felt like his internal organs had been doused with gasoline and torched with a flamethrower.

 

He distantly thinks about what his pack will do next. As the alpha’s firstborn son, he had been receiving rigorous training almost every day. His father had personally taught him how to hunt, telling him that every alpha had to be able to bring back food for their families. Although he wasn’t particularly good at any of the things he had been taught, his younger sister, Jaekyung, was.

 

Hopefully, she would present as an alpha someday and be able to succeed their father. Jaehyun definitely didn’t want what happened to him to happen to Jaekyung. He wondered how she, along with the rest of his pack, would receive the news the following morning.

 

The topic slipped out of his mind as he continued to wander around, trying not to panic. Maybe he crossed the border of another pack’s territory, or perhaps he was just going in circles. The deal was, if he didn’t get out of his father’s territory, there’d be people out to get him soon, but if he had gone into another wolf’s land, he was also a goner. Maybe he’d die from whatever injuries his own father had inflicted on him, first.

 

He was out of breath, for some reason, even though it didn’t seem to him that he had moved terribly far. Plus, his legs were starting to buckle and give out from underneath him. It was the middle of the night, and Jaehyun just wanted to sleep. He was starting to feel numb, like he was floating in air.

  
Maybe he really was going to die here tonight. Actually, on second thought, maybe that wouldn’t be too bad.


	2. Hey, Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hansol panics over everything. Jaehyun wakes up.

Hansol had been out near the border of their territory, sent on patrol duty. 

He milled around the area, easily navigating through it. Hansol was moving quickly, making rushed movements in an attempt to conserve some body heat.

It was an unusually cold morning, the steely sky above occasionally letting a sliver of white slip through. There wasn’t any wind, though, which Hansol was grateful for.

He was alert, watchful for any signs of an intruder. Hansol was, unfortunately for him, one of the best trackers in the entire pack, which pretty much meant that he was confined to do this shitty job until he was old and senile as long as there wasn’t anything major going on that he was otherwise needed for.

Most of the time, since he was always sent out alone, he would mull over whatever events had recently occurred or news of future events. This morning, he thought of this year’s annual mating season, which would be officially beginning sometime next week. Actually, he had been thinking about it for the past three months, but that wasn’t important.

The big deal was that he wanted to make it official between him and his boyfriend of two and a half years this mating season. He had confessed to his best friend, Ten, who already had a mate, about his plans just a couple days ago, expressed his concern over how there was a chance that Yuta would reject him. 

“Don’t be silly,” Ten had told him with an amused expression. “How could he say no? I can tell by his behavior around you that he’s definitely ready, believe me. It reminds me of how I acted before Johnny and I became mates.” His expression turned a bit sheepish at that.

Hansol still wasn’t a hundred percent convinced, but if he couldn’t believe his childhood friend, who else could he believe? 

“Besides,” Ten had continued, “you were going to have to make it official at some point anyways. Why not do it now?”

So Hansol was practically shitting himself in fear of rejection for the past few weeks, unnecessarily avoiding Yuta and paying visits to Ten’s home in the middle of the night to ask him his opinion on random gift ideas that he would think of.

“You know, I heard from some of my other friends that Yuta’s pretty much already figured out why you’re acting this way,” Ten had given him a judgemental look. “He’s not stupid, you know, he can tell when something’s up. Hansol, you don’t have to do this to yourself. As Mother Teresa said, ‘It’s not about how much we give, but about how much love we put into giving.’”

Fuck Ten and his stupid ass proverbs.

Hansol felt more and more burdened every day, thinking about it all.

Suddenly, Hansol scented a faint trace of relatively fresh blood, lingering thinly in the air and disturbing his train of thought. He initially smiled, thinking that it could have been an injured deer or something that he could take down and bring home for dinner. 

But as he continued to track down the trail, his expression changed as the scent morphed into something different. He could smell the scent of an unfamiliar wolf getting stronger as he approached the source of the smell. It couldn’t have been a pack member.

Hansol stayed low, ducking down to reduce visibility. His eyes flitted around, watching out for any movement. Surely, an injured wolf wouldn’t be able to move very far away without him noticing first.

There was a strange… lowered area in the tall grasses, from where he could see from his location, like there was something pressing down the preexisting blades of grass.

He warily stood up, looking downwards at the grass. There was a young man lying there, curled up, face pallid, eyes closed. Obviously, he was unconscious if he hadn’t noticed him approaching. There was a overpacked leather satchel at his side.

Hansol’s blood chilled at the terrible sight. Immediately, he kneeled down and checked the boy’s pulse. It was palpable, but not as strong as Hansol would have liked it to be. He noticed that the boy’s breathing was extremely shallow and ragged, almost like he wasn’t able to take a full breath in. 

God, it was so cold that morning, and this boy was lying there, among the frosted blades of grass. Jesus Christ, Hansol thought. I should get him back to the infirmary now. 

When he reached down to carry the boy over his back, he hesitated. What if the boy had broken bones or some shit? He grimaced, thinking over his options, but decided on carrying him back to the pack’s infirmary in the end. It was better to give him a chance instead of leaving him out here to die, he thought.

\--

His pack members moved out of the way as Hansol hastily walked back into the central common area where people were still eating or just lingering around to talk. Everyone quieted down, and a ripple of voices made it clear that everyone was curious as to what had happened.

He moved as fast as he could into the infirmary, where the receptionist immediately got up and led Hansol into the small waiting area. She got out a stretcher and told him to set the boy down on it. He was quickly wheeled away into their vacant operating room by a nurse. 

“Hansol, what happened? What treatment does he need?” Their resident surgeon demanded, looking through the frosted glass panel installed in front of the sink as he vigorously washed his hands in preparation for whatever procedures he might have had to perform. “Who is this?”

“I have no fucking clue,” Hansol shot back from outside the room, heart hammering in his chest.. “Found him lying in the grass unconscious near the northern border of our territory.”

Nurses began filing into the operating room rapidly from another adjoining room where they presumably had all washed their hand, clustering around the bed in which the boy was lying on. They were moving frantically, like they were fighting to figure out where the boy had been possibly injured. Voices began filtering out of the room, a bunch of medical lingo that Hansol didn’t get. Combined with the beeping of the machines in the room, it was starting to make his head hurt.

Perhaps his own job wasn’t so bad, after all, he thinks irrelevantly. Not so complicated.

He thinks it’s awkward, waiting outside alone for someone he didn’t even know, so he decides to go back to the head alpha to report what had occurred. It was required of all patrollers after their shifts, so he figured he’d get it over with first.

No one outside openly asked him what had happened (thankfully), but Hansol could feel the curiosity in their stares as he walked towards the head alpha’s workroom. 

Respectfully, he knocked on the door. “Come in, Hansol,” a soft voice muttered. 

He opened the wooden door, quickly walked in, and shut it behind him. “I’ve come to report what happened during my patrol, sir. At the northern border, in the tall grasses, I found an unconscious… omega male, I want to say. Probably a little younger than I am, he can’t possibly be older. He has no identifiable pack scent. I scented blood, so something was obviously wrong, but I didn’t… see any blood, so I don’t know for sure what might have been wrong with him. He was in really bad condition, so I brought him back to our infirmary. Judging on how the doctors and nurses responded, it didn’t seem to look good.” 

The alpha’s eyes were unreadable, and Hansol tried not to fidget under his gaze. “I see,” he murmured. “Thank you, Hansol. You're dismissed from your duties for the rest of the day. I’ll see to the issue personally.” The edges of his lips quirked upward in thanks.

Hansol grins back at him. “No problem, sir.”

“No, kiddo, you saved someone’s life today,” the alpha responds soberly. “That means a lot to the boy you saved, and possibly his pack as well. Perhaps he got lost.”

“Perhaps,” Hansol sighs, before walking out of the little workroom. He could feel the exhaustion creeping in his bones from lack of sleep and too much information to process. As he walked up towards his home’s door, mind still thinking about the young man he had found, he felt a familiar hand wrap gently around his wrist, halting him.

“Hi, Hansol!” a silvery, familiar voice greeted cheerily from behind him. 

“Hey, beautiful,” Hansol responded, quickly unlocking his door, knowing his voice probably sounded raspy and dead from lack of water. “What are you doing here? Come in.” He hoped he didn’t sound as nervous as he felt, but Yuta knew him too well.

“I’m here because I wanted to see my boyfriend, I guess,” Yuta deadpans, giving him a look while taking off his shoes and setting them down neatly by the door. “You’ve been awfully busy lately, and I didn’t want to bother you at a bad time. So I saw you walking back home and… took that opportunity to talk to you.”

“Sorry, Yuta,” Hansol replies shyly. “There’s been a lot on my mind recently.” He doesn’t elaborate on his statement, instead taking Yuta by the hand over to the large couch, after he drinks a glass of water. Yuta curls into Hansol’s side, liking how warm he was.

“You kinda smell like someone’s blood,” Yuta grimaces. Hansol gave him an apologetic look. “Did something bad happen this morning? Do you want to talk about it?” His eyes were wide as they usually were, staring up at Hansol.

Hansol sighs, leaning against Yuta. He wanted to sleep, getting up for patrol was absolute hell, especially when he was plagued all night with thoughts of Yuta rejecting him as soon as mating season began. Hansol swears that he hasn’t gotten a minute of restful sleep for the past week or so.

“I found an omega male, somewhere around our age, in the forest, unconscious and in very bad shape,” Hansol murmurs, closing his eyes. “He was alive, but his breathing was… extremely weak. I didn’t know what other injuries he might have had, since he wasn’t exactly available to tell me, so I kind of just took him back. It wouldn’t be nice to leave someone to die out there, y’know?”

“Did he belong to a pack?” Yuta asks, voice muffled by the material of Hansol’s sweatshirt. “Did you know?”

Hansol shook his head. “No, there was no pack scent on him. He just smelled like himself, I guess. I have no clue how long he was out there, but it shouldn’t have been over a couple of hours. With this weather, he probably would have died of the cold if he was exposed for so long.”

“... God, that’s terrible,” Yuta mumbles. “I wonder what happened to the poor guy.”

“Dunno,” Hansol shrugs. “He’s in the operation room right now, but I’m not sure if they’re actually going to do surgery on him. My guess is they eventually will, though, since I couldn’t see any external injuries.”

“We shouldn’t jump to conclusions, I’m sure he’ll tell you what happened when he gets better, after all, you saved him,” Yuta says, with a mighty yawn. “Mmm, you’re making me feel sleepy again, and I just woke up a while ago…”

“Then let’s sleep,” Hansol drawls. “I’m tired, too. Didn’t really get a good night’s rest last night. I’m free for the rest of the day, anyway.” 

Hansol drifts into unconsciousness only after he hears Yuta’s breathing even out, grateful he hadn’t mentioned anything about the upcoming start of mating season.

\--

Jaehyun stirred and blinked his eyes groggily, expecting to be greeted by the usual lacquered wood planks that composed the ceiling of his room. God, he felt terrible, like he had been hit by a truck made out of fucking uranium before he had fallen asleep. 

Was he hallucinating? The roof was made up of white tiles and... the room was frigid. Something was beeping steadily, and he jolted in surprise. Where was he? Where were his parents? Where was his fucking sense of smell? 

His head was pounding so hard he could barely open his eyes. Distantly, he acknowledged that there were, in fact, about a million tubes connected to him, but he was too numb to feel them.

The sheets loosely tucked around his body are stiff and overstarched, he thinks. He wanted to move, to run, to escape. Jaehyun had no clue where he was, and he just wanted to go home.

Home. The word slams reality straight into him. All the memories and overwhelming emotions that came with them came flooding back into his head.

He reels from the impact, his vision suddenly blurring. Jaehyun doesn’t even realize that hot tears streaming down his face, leaving cold trails on his cheeks, until a nurse bursts into his room to check on him.

“Sweetie, are you alright?” The nurse asks delicately, grabbing a tissue and dabbing gently at his cheeks. “We’ve been waiting for you to wake up for quite a while now, and we’re happy to see you up!” 

“Wuh-where am I?” Jaehyun stutters, taking a sharp breath afterwards. “U-ugh,” he clutches at his chest. “It huh-hurts when I buh-buh-breathe.” He felt pathetic, like a little boy who was crying over a little scratch. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he can still hear his father yelling at him to toughen up, and it makes him cry harder. Every little jolt made his chest hurt, and he honestly thought being unconscious would have been much, much better.

“Take deep breaths now, honey, you’re doing great,” she continues to wipe at his face. “You’re in a hospital, dearie. One of our morning patrollers found you unconscious out in the forest, and he took you back here. We didn’t know what happened, but we did know you were really hurt.” The answer she gave was too vague, but Jaehyun figured he’d get his exact location out of someone at some point, so he didn’t bother pressing her for information.

“Huh-how bad were my-my injuries?” Jaehyun licked his parched lips, where the skin was peeling off. The nurse immediately went to fetch a plastic cup of water, slowly helping him drink it. 

She seemed hesitant to tell him. “You… You had a really bad broken rib. The reason you couldn’t breathe properly was because it also ended up puncturing one of your lungs. We fixed up both of those surgically, cleaned up the… bone fragments that were scattered. The wound will scar, but we have some gels that you can apply so the mark fades a little more. We believe you were in shock as well, but it wasn’t that bad, so don’t worry.” Jaehyun cringed, making more tears spill onto his face. He never did fare well listening to things like this.

“We suspect you may have a minor concussion, since there was a bump on your head from some kind of impact. Again, we used our best judgement, so we might be wrong about this one.”

Jaehyun thought back to when his father had thrown him against the… wall, was it? His head had collided first, so the nurse was probably correct. No wonder his head felt so bad, he thinks bitterly.

His tears were finally starting to stop, and he tried to calm himself down and regulate his breaths, which wasn’t as hard as he thought it would have been. Maybe it was because if he didn’t stop shuddering and gasping, his ribcage would hurt less.

“Other than that, you should be alright, dearie,” the nurse gives a disconcertingly sugary smile to him, patting his hand lightly. “It’ll take you a while to heal, so we’ll be keeping you under our watch for a while. So how are you feeling? If you’re having any problems, you need to tell us, okay?”

He nods weakly. “Thank you.”

“No problem, sweetheart,” the nurse responded happily. “Anyways, before anything else happens, we have someone who needs to talk to you. He’s very nice, he just wants to ask you a few things. In fact, I believe he’s bringing breakfast up for the two of you now!” 

Jaehyun furrows his eyebrows at this. The last thing he wanted to do right now was attempt to hold a conversation with someone who would probably be a complete stranger to him.

As if on cue, a knock came at the door. “He’s here,” the nurse heads over to open the door. “Well, I’ll be taking my leave now, Jaehyun! And look, he brought food with him, how nice. Enjoy your breakfast!” The door closes behind her, leaving Jaehyun and the unfamiliar man alone, plunging the room into silence.

\--

“You’re… You’re his son, aren’t you?” the man studied Jaehyun’s face, his own eyes widening in surprise. Jaehyun stared back, not daring to respond. The man’s eyes were a striking yellow-green hue, not unlike his father’s, he notices. In fact, the aura this man gives off is extremely reminiscent to his father’s, and even their ages seemed similar. It was enough to make him shrink away a little bit from the man.

“What are you doing here? It’s such a surprise to see you again, all grown up. Although it isn’t such a good thing that I’m meeting you here, Jaehyun, I believe your name was, right?” the man stated, his tone not unfriendly, eyes lighting up. Jaehyun nods warily, surprised that the man had remembered his name when he himself hadn’t even remembered the man. Perhaps he was one of his parents’ old friends? “You probably don’t remember me all that well… I’m the head alpha of the southern pack. Your parents used to bring you over all the time when you were a toddler.” He chuckles good-naturedly. “Ah, I still remember those good times. So what brings you here? In this condition?”

So he was in the southern pack. His father had mentioned something about them being “friendly rivals” who had known each other for a long time. Jaehyun felt like it would be okay to tell the truth.

“...I presented as an… omega,” Jaehyun keeps his eyes on the man’s face, searching for any signs of a reaction. “My parents drove me out last night, after I went into heat.” His fingers tightened around a fistful of that horrible overstarched blanket, like the weight of it would keep him grounded. His abdominal area throbbed painfully, and felt almost swollen, even though he hadn’t eaten. Strangely enough, it was even starting to hurt more than his head was at this point, and his chest, if he didn’t move. “They had a healer cut my sense of smell, so I ended up wandering… down here, I guess. I don’t know. I couldn’t tell where I was going.”

The man gave him a surprised expression after hearing him speak, raising his eyebrows. “That’s really harsh. You know, in this pack, something like that hasn’t happened in almost a century.”

Jaehyun stares at him owlishly, not knowing how to respond. The nearby window was propped open, and he could imagine the savory smell of his mother’s freshly made pancakes wafting in. His stomach growled and he realized how hungry he was, giving the man an embarrassed look.

“Oh, I forgot to offer you the food I brought upstairs,” the man sighs exasperatedly, smacking himself in the forehead. “Silly me. Here, kiddo,” he says, handing two thick pieces of bread to Jaehyun. “Want jam or butter? I brought both. Never mind, eat both of them, you’re probably starving.”

The man took some bread and ate it nonchalantly, not even bothering to put any spread on it. 

Jaehyun doesn’t eat until the man starts to eat, and when he does, he can’t taste it. It was like chewing warm, spongy air. Again, he reminds himself before he gets upset, it was because his sense of smell was gone. The man doesn’t appear to notice his behavior, and begins to talk again.

“Do you have a place to be?” he asks Jaehyun, who shrugs. 

“I don’t know where to go, sir. Honestly, when I got kicked out, I was hoping… you know,” Jaehyun lowers his head. “I was hoping they’d either be nice people who would give me some food or something, or someone’d just kill me off quickly.” He sighs, anxiously flicking the breadcrumbs off of his bedsheet.

The man purses his lips before continuing. “I know this might be a little sudden, but this pack can accommodate another member. But before we talk about that, do you maybe want us to bring you back to your parents and ask them to reconsider their decision? Maybe they’re even looking for you now. Do you even want to go back?” His kind tone of voice made Jaehyun think about his uncle, who was, with no doubt, going to react negatively towards his parents’ decision.

His heart ached at the mention of his parents. But then, thinking about how abruptly and roughly they had pushed him out, as if they hadn’t even known him, made him sober up. He knew his parents would never want him back, if they themselves had acknowledged that “they were no longer Jaehyun’s parents.” “No, no, they wouldn’t be,” he shakes his head vigorously. “They would have found me by now, in that case. I don’t ever want to go back after what happened.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments + kudos + bookmarks! Reading comments is one of the best forms of motivation I have, so I really appreciate all of you who submit them. ^^
> 
> \--
> 
> ASK BOX OPEN @ euphemitter.tumblr.com.


	3. Don't Dream It's Over

“Do you _want_ to stay with us, then?” the pack leader asked considerately. “You know what, maybe I should show you around, introduce you to some of our pack members if the nurses say you can be up and about. Then, you can see if this is really a place you want to be.”

 

Jaehyun nodded lightly, and the man stepped outside briefly to talk with the nurse, who said it was actually better for Jaehyun to be up walking, just that he shouldn’t do anything that caused him any pain. “Don’t go crazy out there, sweetheart,” she joked, helping him up out of the bed after disconnecting the remaining tubes. “Take it easy.”

 

It was kind of funny how just one night ago, when he was stranded out in the forest, he imagined that he would’ve just died there. Or he would have been captured by some other pack that would have probably killed him, anyways. This pack was more fucking hospitable than his _own_ , it seemed. At least, their pack leader’s personality really surprised Jaehyun. His father only ever questioned people they found outside, before having them “escorted” back out.

 

“Sweetheart, do you have any jackets? Did you bring anything with you?” the nurse asks. Jaehyun suddenly thinks back to his leather satchel and instinctively brings a hand down to his side even when he knows it obviously won’t be there.

 

“I brought a bag with me, but I don’t know where it is now…” Jaehyun feels panicked again. There were so many important things in that bag, he needed it.

 

“Oh, your bag is over on that table!” the nurse immediately steps over to grab it for him.

 

He opens it, fumbling with the buckles. It’s overflowing with items that he had shoved inside in a hurry, and he gulps when he pushes some of the items that had fallen out abashedly. Jaehyun grabbed a jacket, the only one he actually brought, and puts it on with shaky fingers.

 

“Okay, I’m okay,” he says, ignoring the looks the nurse and the man were giving him. “Let’s go out now.”

 

He walked at a far slower pace than he would have normally walked at. The nurse supported him gently as they walked out the door. “We’re going to check in on how you’re doing when you come back, okay?” Jaehyun nods. He’s excited to go outside, wanting to breathe some fresh air.

 

The pack leader spoke to the nurse. “It’ll be a relatively quick trip, don’t worry.” He turned back to face Jaehyun. “Ready to go?”

 

\--

 

“Frankly, I’m just really surprised that, you know, they did that,” the man stated, eyes glassy. Jaehyun noticed that he had a tendency to gesture when he spoke, as if his movements would get the point across better. “Disappointed, too. Although ‘disappointed’ may not be a strong enough word. You know, your father and I go way back,” he said, extending the “a” in way. “When we were pups, we’d sneak out, and you know, he’d stay on his side of the border and I’d stay on mine. But we would play together in secret. I’m not sure if he ever told you any of this or not.”

 

Jaehyun shook his head, instead replying, “My father only ever told me things about hunting, around leading a pack. Now that I think about it… He never did tell me anything about his childhood.” There was an awful sinking feeling in his belly. Here he was, all pathetic and helpless, learning about his own father from a stranger. Granted, a very kind stranger, but still a stranger nonetheless.

 

The man looked surprised, again. “Hm, well,” his tone changing as he approached a clearing, down a hill. There was a massive fire pit in the center and stone steps as sitting places. It was an amphitheater-like structure, similar to the one at his old pack. _Jesus Christ, Jaehyun_ , he scolded himself. _Stop thinking about your former pack._

 

“This is where we hold events, but everyone comes here every day regardless of that,” the pack leader introduced. “The fire is lit every night after sundown, so people come here after dinner, especially if it’s cold at their houses. It’s just a place to socialize and relax at. There isn’t really an official name for this place, because our naming committee couldn’t think of anything witty enough.” He chuckles, and Jaehyun grins at that.

 

“Let’s move on, it’s pretty cold out here. We can’t have you getting sick, now, can we?” the man says concernedly. “The reason the houses are so spread out in this territory, in case you were wondering, is because in this pack, upon reaching a certain age, you have to build your own home, separate from your parents. You have a choice of moving anywhere within the borders, but people live within walking distance of all the main amenities for obvious reasons. When you become mated to someone, you take down your former home and build a new one together with your mate. That’s pretty much how it works around here.”

 

“Oh,” Jaehyun wheezes out. The word had been almost torn from his throat. His abdomen, around the region where his father had punched him the most, had been feeling worse and worse ever since he had woken up, but he didn’t say anything about it. Jaehyun’s entire body felt tired, like he had just completed a long hunting journey.

 

“What’s wrong?” the man gently supported him, voice surprised, but relatively calm. “Kiddo, I’m going to take you back to the infirmary now, alright? You’re going to have to work with me here.” Jaehyun didn’t want to move at all, but he felt himself starting to feel short of breath. _Jaehyun, if you don’t want to fucking die here today, get your ass up_ , he told himself angrily.

 

He bit his lip, hard, nodding his head. It was all agonizing, the walk back through the forest to the little infirmary. Although it really had only taken around five minutes, it felt like a hellish eternity to Jaehyun. His eyes were blurring again, and he could barely keep his legs from buckling under his weight. Jaehyun felt absolutely _worthless_.

 

No wonder his father didn’t want him anymore, Jaehyun thought sadly. He really was weak, wasn’t he?

 

\--

 

When he woke up again, he was greeted by a familiar white tiled roof. The beeping sound of the heart monitor was present as well, droning on in the background.

 

He opened his eyes, squinting to adjust to the bright artificial lighting. There was a nurse sitting in the corner of the room, reading a rather thick novel.

 

Jaehyun felt like complete shit, possibly worse than he felt the last time he woke up here, and he didn’t even know what had happened. Something felt awfully… off, within his body. It wasn’t pain, though, and Jaehyun was thankful for that.

 

The nurse seemed to have noticed his movement, because she raised her head. It was the same nurse who had checked in on him the day before. However, she had a grim expression on her face instead of a smile. It made Jaehyun’s skin crawl a little bit.

 

“... So… What happened, ma’am?” Jaehyun asked quietly, not really wanting to hear the response. She set the book down and walked over to Jaehyun’s bed, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

 

The nurse stared into his eyes seriously. “What do you know about what might have happened to you yesterday afternoon, sweetie?”

 

Jaehyun stared back at her blankly. “I felt… weak. Light headed, a bit short of breath. Maybe my lungs?” He mumbled skeptically.

 

“You’re close, sweetheart, but not quite,” the nurse manages a weak smile at him. “Would you like me to tell you everything, or do you only want to know a little bit?”

 

“Everything,” Jaehyun responded immediately. “I want to know.”

 

“The impacts you received on your lower abdomen caused internal bleeding. There was hemorrhaging and you should have felt that something was wrong,” she sighed. “We fixed that up, but we had to do more surgery to do so. To be honest with you, hon’, we’re not sure how extensive the damage to your internal reproductive organs was. We patched everything up to the best of our ability, and the bleeding has long stopped. Our only concern now is, well, what your outlook is going to be after this, sweetie.”

 

Jaehyun tries to swallow down the knot in his throat, and the nurse hesitantly reaches for his hand, squeezing it.

 

“It’s very possible... that... infertility has resulted, sweetheart. I’m so, so sorry.”

 

Infertility. The absolute worst news that could have been broken were broken.

 

“Wuh-what?” Jaehyun asked again, trying to steady his voice. He let out a nervous laugh. “I misheard that, say it again?”

 

“ _You’re infertile, honey_ ,” the woman repeated, and she was also obviously very uncomfortable with it all. _“I’m sorry_ ,” she whispered. _“I’m sorry you had to go through all of this, because frankly, no one deserves that. I’m sorry we couldn’t fix you up in time. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”_ She chanted those two words like it would make it better.

 

Jaehyun felt so small, so _fucking_ small that he felt like he could disappear if he became any smaller. He swallowed so hard it made his _parotid glands hurt._ His palms were clammy, but the woman was still holding onto his hands with her own.

 

God damn it.

 

Jaehyun wanted to scream, to flip his fucking hospital bed over, to throw a childish tantrum on the cold tile floor but he _couldn’t_ even get his ass out of said bed. All of this was because he was a god _damned_ omega. No, it was because of his parents.

 

He was overwhelmed by feelings of both extreme guilt and extreme anger, bubbling up in his frail body and threatening to tear him apart. Jaehyun didn’t want to cry, because all the shaking would probably fuck his ribs up. But the tears came out anyways, because a part of him wanted to cry as hard as he possibly could, just to piss his father off even though he wasn’t there to see him. God, he wanted to rip that man’s eyes out, watch his naked eye sockets bleed.

 

“Muh-muh-ma’am,” Jaehyun rasped. “Cuh-could you leave-eave me alone for a luh-little while?” He had no hard feelings against the nurse, who had been nothing but kind to him from the very beginning.

 

The woman squeezed his shoulder and handed him a tissue box before quietly exiting the room, telling him to let her know if he wanted anything, or just needed a person to talk to. She couldn’t find it in her to tell him to try to calm down.

 

Jaehyun cried quietly, burying his face into the disgusting blankets until he felt light-headed from the lack of oxygen. There was a wet patch on the blanket from his tears.

 

He was oversensitive, skin tingling whenever his oversized hospital garment brushed against it. “I hope you’re happy now, dad, mom,” Jaehyun sobbed, the words coming out so garbled he couldn’t even tell what it was. He couldn’t pick up enough courage to refer to his parents as anything else, not even now. “I’m going to be an invalid for the rest of my goddamned life, because of you!” He took in a breath, shuddering and shaking. It made his ribs hurt, and what presumably was the new wound on his belly hurt as well. His head pounded as well, but he had long since grown numb to that.

 

“Dad, did you aim where you did for that reason? Because you knew and resented the fact that _my_ biggest dream in life was never to lead your stupid pack, it was to _raise a family_?” Jaehyun’s voice started to raise.

 

“Mom, you, too? Is that why you stood aside?” He let out a shaky laugh.

 

“Your dumbass healer knocked out my nose, you know? I can’t fucking taste anything, I can’t fucking smell, I can’t _fucking_ do anything! I’m in a godforsaken place where everyone is so nice it makes me feel _fucking_ pathetic, like I don’t deserve it. I don’t know what to do anymore, I’m just going to be a burden to everyone I meet. I'm going to be alone.”

 

Jaehyun was nearly in hysterics, voice resounding in the room. “Everything else you did was almost forgivable, but this…” He clenched his hands in the moist blankets.

 

“The two of you should have killed me instead, you know?” His voice was so quiet, it was a whisper. The room plunged into silence, and he felt so utterly frustrated with everything, gasping for breath after his rant.

  
Jaehyun felt awfully light-headed, and he fell back gently onto his pillows, closing his eyes and feeling more tears slide down his face.

  
"God, what's gonna happen to me next?" he asks quietly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all the kudos + comments + bookmarks I've received! Thank you so much <3
> 
> \--
> 
> ASK BOX OPEN @ euphemitter.tumblr.com.


	4. You're Not There Yet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyun makes a decision. Things go well.

The southern pack leader returned the next morning, after the nurse had given Jaehyun a check-up. It was strange, seeing him again after what had happened the night before.

 

He sympathized with Jaehyun with only the best intentions, because of course he knew what occurred. Although he appreciated the man’s actions, he didn’t really want to talk to anybody. Except maybe his best friend, but he was still back at his old pack, and probably hated him now, too. 

 

“What would you like to do today, Jaehyun?” the man asked kindly after they had finished eating breakfast together, just like they had yesterday. “Just want to rest?”

 

Jaehyun shook his head. “No, not really.” He was torn between wanting to return to how his old life was like, but he was also curious about this new pack. Perhaps it would be for the best for him to have a new beginning.

 

“You know… Somebody mentioned they wanted to visit you, earlier on,” he continued hesitatingly. “Are you okay with a visitor today?”

 

“Who is it?” Jaehyun asks sullenly. Meeting someone new would be interesting, that was for sure.

 

“The person who found you when he was on patrol,” the man stated. “He wanted to make sure you were alright, since, well, there kind of was no context when he found you like that.”

 

“...Yes,” Jaehyun replied. He kind of wanted to meet him, he supposes. At least he owed him his thanks.

 

\--

 

Maybe he would have regretted it if he had said he didn’t want to meet Hansol. 

 

The man’s awkward charms had Jaehyun laughing so hard he felt like his ribcage was threatening to dislodge itself. But he kept laughing, since the nurse had told him that he was healing up quickly anyways. It was great, having a new friend to talk to.

 

He answered every question Jaehyun had about him and the rest of the pack so thoroughly that he felt like he didn’t need a tour anymore. The best part was, he wasn’t judgemental in the slightest, so Jaehyun felt like he could say anything in front of him.

 

“What events are coming up here? Maybe I’ll take part in ‘em when I get better,” Jaehyun asks curiously.

 

“Oh, the only main event that’s happening is the start of mating season,” Hansol responds. “I don’t think you’ll be allowed to take part, but it’s kind of pointless unless you have someone you really want as a mate.” His face flushed pink, and he was avoiding the subject. 

 

Jaehyun grins. “Do you?” 

 

“Kind of, maybe, sort of, I don’t know,” Hansol replies cautiously. 

 

“Well, you should bring him here and introduce me sometime,” Jaehyun requests cheerfully. “I’m lonely here, hyung.”

 

Hansol sighed. “I’m kind of avoiding him right now, I’m ashamed to say. No, we aren’t fighting, it’s just that... I have no clue what gift to get him, even though we’ve known each other for so long. I’m paranoid that whatever I’ll get him won’t be good enough, and… Maybe he’ll reject me, y’know?” He was talking so quickly it was almost like he was babbling.

 

“Hansol, don’t be silly,” Jaehyun scolded. “If you’re considering becoming his mate already, the only thing he’s missing in his life should be  _ you _ . Gifts are just kind of a secondary thing, in my opinion.” 

 

“You actually sound kinda smart, kid,” Hansol replies jokingly. “But you shouldn’t be worrying ‘bout me right now. Pack leader’s still wondering if you wanna stay here or not.” And Jaehyun remembers that the man never actually got a chance to hear a response from him.

 

“Is he really being serious?” Jaehyun cocks his head. “I mean… it’s kinda unbelievable.”

 

“Dead ass serious, Jaehyun,” Hansol responds. “I don’t know everything that went on between you two yesterday, but he sure as hell doesn’t offer this opportunity to everyone. He asked me himself yesterday that if you let me visit you, I’d have to ask you this question. There are a whole lot of things that go into accepting a new pack member for us, you know, and he needs to prepare.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Well, you’re going to have to have a place to live, right? You aren’t exactly in good enough shape right now to build your own place, so he said you’d probably be living in a guest house for now. There’s also a welcoming ceremony. Most of us have one when we’re newborns, so we don’t really remember them. Don’t worry, it’s going to be pretty small, so you won’t bore yourself to death during a celebration of… well, yourself,” Hansol grins, and Jaehyun laughs at his last statement.

 

“Living anywhere is fine for me, I won’t discriminate,” Jaehyun murmurs gratefully. “I’ll stay. I have nowhere else to go, and I’m starting to grow fond of the people around here, anyway. Man, I owe all of you my eternal thanks.”

 

Hansol smiles at that. “I’m glad to hear it. Then I’ll tell him your decision, and he’ll probably come back to talk to you soon. Well… welcome to the pack, Jaehyun!”

 

There was a warm tingling feeling in Jaehyun’s chest, and he grins widely. Maybe he  _ could _ find new happiness here, he thought, if he believed in it.

 

\--

 

Hansol rapped at the familiar heavy wooden door. “Come in, Hansol,” the voice called.

 

“He told me his decision,” Hansol told the pack leader, who was working on repairing something, it seemed. There were tools scattered all over his workbench, and Hansol stood a respectable distance away, not wanting to disturb him.

 

“Oh, he did? I thought he would want to wait a little longer,” the man stated, but it was obvious he was curious- maybe a little giddy, too. Hansol had learned from Jaehyun roughly what had happened to him, and he honestly felt so bad. He was glad he had found the boy in time, it was the least he could have done.

 

“He said that yes, he wanted to stay,” Hansol told him. 

 

“That’s great! I’ll go and talk to him about what the arrangements I had in mind for him later today, after I fix this thing,” the man grinned. “Thank you so much for going and keeping him company, Hansol-ah. How’d it go, by the way?”

 

“Good, he seems to like me,” Hansol responds earnestly. “Honestly, I’m kinda surprised the kid still has it in him to talk to others about all this after everything that happened.”

 

“He was born to be somebody strong, y’know? Someone who could lead,” the pack leader noted after a moment of thinking. “Even though he wasn’t really physically strong, all this shows that he has a strong mind. Unfortunately, that obviously had no value to his parents.”

 

\--

 

“What do you want, man?” 

 

Ten was half-asleep, dressed in his rattiest pajamas. 

 

“It’s not even that late yet, what the hell are you doing in bed?” Hansol retorted. He shoved his hands in his pocket, realizing how much they were twitching.

 

“What do you think I was doing?” Ten gave him a coy smile. “No, no,  _ I wish I had been _ , but I was just feeling really tired today, so I wanted to go to bed a little earlier. Anyways, come in, Hansol, it’s cold as fuck outside and yes, I know your house has shitty heating.”

 

Ten’s house was one of the most extravagantly furnished homes Hansol had ever seen, and although he’s been in here countless times, it never ceases to awe him. Two years ago, Ten and Johnny built the house together, after the previous year’s mating season ended. 

 

There was a furnace inside, explaining how the hell the house was so warm, and Johnny was resting in one of the armchairs nearby, seemingly asleep. 

 

Ten gestured towards one of the vacant armchairs, telling Hansol to sit. He then walked into their kitchen and poured some warm water from a kettle into two mugs.

 

Hansol mumbled his thanks when Ten gave him a mug. He had his legs extended towards the furnace, because maybe he wanted to defrost his feet a little bit.

 

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Ten asked. “And don’t worry ‘bout him, he’s a heavy sleeper. As long as we don’t start screaming or something, he’ll stay asleep.”

 

He kind of wanted to mention Jaehyun, but he figured it was better not to for the time being. “Do you think bringing Yuta out on a trip would count as a good enough gift?”

 

Ten gave him a horrified look, and Hansol felt like he had done something terribly wrong.

 

“... You woke me up to talk about this again? Dear God, why won’t mating season begin earlier? Anyways, yeah, does he like going outside and doing those sorts of things?”

 

“... He’s alright with it,” Hansol mutters. “Y’know, someone told me that ‘If you’re considering becoming his mate already, the only thing he’s missing in his life should be  _ you _ . Gifts are just kind of a secondary thing, in my opinion.’” It was exactly what Jaehyun had told him earlier, word for word.

 

“Then whoever said that is a fucking genius,” Ten replies exasperatedly. “Who’d you talk to, anyways? Maybe I should go talk to them to reimburse the brain cells that die every time I talk to you,” he says wryly.

 

“But it’s not something that  _ I _ feel good about doing. Ever since I was a goddamned fetus, my mom and dad told me about this gift being ‘the most important gift you’ll ever give,’” Hansol retorts. “And all you need to know about the person who told me that is that, by the way, they aren’t from around here.”

 

Ten purses his lips, but he doesn’t press on. 

 

“Alright, well, because I know you won’t listen to anything that comes out of my mouth, or anyone’s mouth, for that matter, I’m going to sleep now. You’re welcome to stay the night, I really don’t care if it’s you,” Ten mumbles drowsily, setting his mug down on a nearby table. “Just don’t _ disturb me anymore _ .”

 

\--

 

Jaehyun woke to white tiles and eerie silence. For the first time, he didn’t have to think about where the hell he was when he woke up, and he almost felt a sense of accomplishment at that.

 

The nurses had deemed his recovery “astonishingly fast, even for their kind,” so all of the annoying machines had been disconnected, thankfully. They checked on his wounds to find that they had all healed up quite well, and his ribs and lungs had recovered very nicely.

 

It almost seemed too perfect to Jaehyun, but he wasn’t going to complain. 

 

After finishing breakfast, the nurse told him that their pack leader was back to visit. Jaehyun remembers that Hansol probably told him his decision yesterday. He wonders if he’ll ever regret staying here, but he supposes it’s better not to think about that.

 

“Hey! Heard from the nurse that you were doing a lot better today,” the man greeted brightly. “I’m really happy to hear that.”

 

Jaehyun gave him a grateful smile, but didn’t respond. 

 

“Anyways,” the man continued, sitting down in a nearby chair, “Hansol told me your decision yesterday. I’m glad to hear that you want to stay, since, well, you told me there isn’t really another place for you to go.” His eyes had a softness to them that his father’s never had.

 

“First off, where would you like to live? I mean, you could stay over at my daughter’s house or my own house until I get somebody to build you a house,” the man offered. 

 

“Oh, no, that’d be asking too much,” Jaehyun shook his head. “Everyone here has already done so much for me, I couldn’t ask for more.”

 

“But you  _ aren’t  _ asking me for anything, I’m simply offering you two choices,” he retorted, with a glimmer in his eye.

 

“...” Jaehyun didn’t know how to respond to that. “Really, it’s okay. I’ll be happy living in a guest house for now, I couldn’t bother you like that.”

 

“No, no, I insist,” the man replied. “The guest houses have only the most basic utilities, which excludes heating, and I’m not trying to have you catch pneumonia. Besides, it would be lonely, living alone at your age. Although I’m sure somebody like me isn’t someone you’d consider your ideal companion, at least I’ll be there to talk to you if you get really bored.”

 

Jaehyun felt a smile creep onto his face. “... Okay.”

  
“Did you really think I wouldn’t have let you stay over? As soon as Hansol told me the news, I fixed up our guest bedroom just for ya,” the man grinned, a childish grin that didn’t match his face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everything! Your comments give me life <3


	5. Left in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyun is extremely confused.

Two days later, the nurses completed their last checks on Jaehyun. He had been fidgety and antsy throughout the entire two-day duration, wanting to go out of the infirmary. The trip outside a couple days ago had only piqued his curiosity.

When he stepped outside, there were wide-eyed gazes directed at him from everywhere. The nurse who was escorting him over to the pack leader’s home gave him a calming smile.

“They’re just curious about who you are, don’t worry about it. You’ll have a chance to meet anyone you would like at your welcoming ceremony, which has been scheduled for tomorrow, I believe,” the nurse explained. “I know, sweetie, it’s kind of a hectic schedule, but we’d have to hold off the ceremony until after mating season is over if we didn’t hold it tomorrow. By then, it wouldn’t be necessary.”

Jaehyun took in everything he saw around him with his eyes. This would be the place he’d be living in for the rest of the foreseeable future. It felt like there was a massive chunk of something missing out of everything, though, since he couldn’t actually smell anything. 

“Go on, knock,” the nurse nudged him gently towards the intimidating wood door in front of them.

He knocked, gently. No sound was made, and he knocked again, harder.

“Come in, Jaehyun, the door’s unlocked,” the pack leader’s voice was muffled. He heard footsteps approaching, and the door opened before his hand touched the doorknob.

Jaehyun was shy, holding his bag close to his body as he stepped inside. The nurse said cheerily, “I guess I’ll entrust him to you now, sir.” She turned to Jaehyun. “Take it easy, okay, honey? Remember everything we told you back at the infirmary. Although all of us like your company, we don’t want to have to treat you again for complications related to any of your injuries.” Jaehyun nods inattentively, eyes hesitantly looking inside the house.

“Alright, bye, Jaehyun,” the nurse tells him. “Remember that we’re going to need to periodically check on your injuries, just to make sure you’re healing up well. Perhaps you’ll only need about a week more.”

“Bye,” Jaehyun waves at her as she leaves. “Thank you for everything!”

His gaze meets the pack leader’s eyes. “So,” he rumbles, “how about coming in and unpacking your things?”

\--

Yuta had a bad feeling about what was going to happen.

He had already suspected it, a few days before, and the gossip he was hearing from his friends recently only confirmed his suspicions.

“Hansol-hyung’s been acting kinda strange around you, hasn’t he?” Doyoung mumbles. Yuta shrugs, not wanting to give away anything.

“I heard that he, well, he might want to break it off with you. Either that, or he’s ill. I’ve never seen Hansol stay away from you for such a long time,” Doyoung says in a hushed voice.

_ That couldn’t be possible, right?  _ Yuta thought panickedly. Everyone’s nerves were on edge, due to the upcoming start of mating season. It was probably it was affecting Hansol in some way, too.

“Maybe he’s planning something special, though. You never know. Maybe he wants to surprise you with something. After all, mating season’s starting the day after tomorrow...” Kun pipes up from the side in a nervous voice.

Hansol had always been a really bad liar, anyways. Maybe he really did want to break up with Yuta, like Doyoung said. 

Yuta didn’t want to believe him, but a small part of him felt like what Doyoung was saying might have been true. 

_ No, don’t listen to the biggest gossip in the entire pack, Yuta, _ he thought frustratedly.  _ You know better than to do that _ .

Kun gave a withering look to Doyoung before reaching for Yuta’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly. 

“Don’t listen to him, hyung, he’s spouting nonsense again,” Kun murmurs comfortingly. “He’s your boyfriend, after all. You  _ could  _ just go ask him to see what’s wrong.”

Yuta nods, trying to convince himself that nothing could’ve been going on. Hansol wouldn’t reject him.  _ Hansol would not reject him. _

He didn’t want to just arbitrarily ask Hansol about something like that, since he was sure he would come talk to him about whatever might have been going on as soon as mating season started. 

Deep down, he ignored the dreading feeling that told him that perhaps Hansol didn’t want him anymore.

\--

With help from the-  _ his  _ new pack leader, Jaehyun unpacked all of his things inside the guest room. It was a stark contrast to how his old room had looked like.

This room was empty, save for the simple bed and plain wooden cabinet. His old room had been lavishly decorated, with fanciful wallpaper and silken bedsheets. The cabinet he was used to seeing was built into his wall. Everything was luxurious and meticulously designed, and it almost seemed like too much, now that Jaehyun thought about it.

This change of scenery was almost… relaxing to him. He almost felt like he could just lie on the bed and stare at the blank walls for the rest of the day.

“I understand you didn’t have much time to pack your things, so if you need anything, please tell me,” the man informs Jaehyun. “And… I’m sure you heard from the nurse that your welcoming ceremony will take place tomorrow. You can briefly introduce yourself to everyone, and our pack members are going to want to talk to you, of course. Unlike other packs, we don’t exactly have any special rituals since they’re a pain in the butt, ‘specially since we typically hold our opening ceremonies for newborns. We don’t have to drag it on too long if you don’t feel comfortable, so don’t worry.”

Jaehyun shakes his head. “I think I’ll be alright.”

“If you’re sure,” the man responds. “I have something I have to tend to, so it’ll just be you here. You’re free to roam around, explore, do whatever, just be careful. I’ll be back before dinner, alright?”

“Okay, okay,” Jaehyun nods. “I’ll be careful. Thanks for everything.” He offers a faint smile at the man before he disappears from the room, doors closing behind him.

Jaehyun carefully lays down on the bed, thankful as to how soft the mattress was. The quilted sheets were plush to the touch, contrary to how the stiff hospital blankets he had spent so many days enveloped in were.

Staying in human form for so long made his skin itch, his muscles ache. His wolf wanted out now, but the nurse had told him not to do it unless he wanted to reopen all of his wounds and rebreak all the bones that had been broken. So he didn’t think of morphing, instead trying to concentrate on other things.

He exhales gently, holding a pillow to his chest. So much had happened.  _ Too much  _ had happened.

It almost felt like he had aged ten years in a matter of days. Jaehyun felt so fatigued all of a sudden, recalling all the events that had occurred.

He knew why his parents had thrown him out, but it didn’t mean he had to fucking understand it. Aside from his newfound status of  _ omega _ , he was perfectly suitable to be the heir.

Now, he was literally just damaged goods, passing by life on the goodwill of somebody who was next to a stranger to him. He was helpless without his sense of smell. Plus, it was common knowledge that an omega who was unable to bear children was pretty much worthless in the eyes of the typical alpha, no matter how beautiful or talented they might have been otherwise.

  
“ _Fuck_ ,” Jaehyun hisses into his pillow. He wanted to scream out of frustration, but decided against it. Who was he to be complaining right now, in his place?

 

He stays in the same position for a while, until he feels faint from the lack of oxygen. Jaehyun lifts the pillow off his face and breathes in slowly.

 

He shouldn’t just lie around all day, he thinks. Perhaps he should go talk to somebody. Aside from the pack leader and the nurses, the only person he knew was Hansol. 

 

Impulsively, he gets up and walks outside, practically expecting Hansol to be waiting outside for him. Although he had no clue where on earth Hansol actually lived, he thought that walking outside for a bit would still be better than being all cooped up in a room again. 

 

As soon as he stepped outside, all eyes turned to look at him. Again, he remembers that even though he can’t scent anything, everybody else could smell him. 

 

Jaehyun nervously shoves his hands into his pockets as he walks by. 

 

“Hey, are you new around here?” a limpid voice calls out from behind him. Jaehyun turns around, surprised. The speaker seemed to be someone around his age, a boy with large eyes and an untamed head of orange hair.

 

“Yeah… I am,” Jaehyun replies quietly. Everyone around him was listening in on their conversation, he was sure of it.

 

The boy shifts in his seat to make a space, gesturing for Jaehyun to come over. It wasn’t as much of a seat as it was a log with a cushion on top of it. Across from him were two other boys, who both offered him a smile.

 

He hesitantly smiles back before sitting down on the corner of the log.

 

“What’s your name? I’m Doyoung,” the orange-haired boy introduces himself.

 

“I’m… Jaehyun,” he responds. “It’s nice to meet you,” he says in a meek voice, not knowing how to regard the other two boys.

 

“I’m Yuta,” said one of the boys who had even larger eyes than Doyoung, if that was possible. His hair was a muted brown color. “Welcome to our pack, Jaehyun.”

 

“And I’m Kun,” the boy sitting next to Yuta introduced himself with a friendly grin. “Nice to meet you.”

 

He felt almost obligated to tell them about himself, but he thought about whether or not it really would be a good idea to tell his entire story to a group of strangers. 

 

“So  _ you’re  _ who we’re having the welcoming ceremony for tomorrow,” Doyoung says, intrigued.

 

\--

 

Jaehyun learned a little more about the pack from the three boys. He was originally opposed to telling them his “status,” but it wasn’t really a big deal to them. Although Doyoung hadn’t presented yet, he wasn’t discriminatory against omegas, considering both Yuta and Kun were of omega status. 

 

None of them really pressed him for his backstory, which he was extremely grateful for. Jaehyun felt so much more relaxed after talking to them, even though he didn’t say a word about why he was even in their pack in the first place.

 

At some point, Doyoung told them that he had somewhere to go, so he excused himself. Kun asked him if he, too, was going someplace before Doyoung stopped him.

 

“I was looking for a friend,” Jaehyun replies. “I don’t know where he lives.”

 

“Who? Maybe we know,” Kun glances at Yuta.

 

“A Hansol?” Jaehyun asks, shrugging. “I dunno his full name.”

 

Yuta freezes in his seat, and Kun’s face takes on an unreadable expression. “Pretty tall kid, right? Somewhere around our age? Big eyes? Kind of awkward?”

 

Jaehyun nods, unsure of how to react. 

 

“Actually-” Kun starts.

 

“-Don’t, Kun,” Yuta glares at him, effectively shutting him up. He turns back to face Jaehyun. “He lives in a small house near the amphitheatre. Actually, you know what? Kun, take him there, I’m not having him get lost here.” The last glare he gave to Kun told him  _ don’t say a fucking word _ .

 

“It was really nice talking to you, Jaehyun,” Yuta tells him. “I’ll… We’ll meet again, right?”

 

“Yeah… Yeah, I’ll find you again,” Jaehyun replies unsurely. He suddenly felt uncomfortable, since it was obvious they were trying to hide something from him.

 

Kun got up out of his seat and started walking, gesturing for Jaehyun to follow him. They walked in awkward silence, but Jaehyun could tell Kun wanted to say something the entire time.

 

When they reached the house, Kun led him to the entrance. “Go ahead, knock. I’m not sure if he’s at home or not, so I’ll wait with you.”

 

Jaehyun purses his lips and walks up to the little porch, knocking on the door. 

 

Some time passed, and just as Jaehyun and Kun were ready to give up, frantic footsteps came towards the door.

 

“Sorry, Jaehyun! I was… busy doing something,” Hansol’s muffled voice comes through the door. Kun laughs in relief from behind Jaehyun. 

 

“He’s here, then. Tell him to accompany you back to wherever you’re residing right now, it’s hell to navigate around here if you aren’t familiar, especially when it’s dark out,” Kun advises. “See you later, Jaehyun!”

 

“... See you soon,” Jaehyun responds to Kun. He was a pretty nice guy, he supposes, but he didn’t know if he could trust him yet.

 

The door swings open, revealing a very bedraggled Hansol. “Come in,” Hansol tells him, stepping aside. “Please excuse the mess, I wasn’t expecting any guests today.”

 

“It’s fine, I just came to talk,” Jaehyun mumbles, shaking his head. 

 

“Saw that you came with Kun today,” Hansol says, gesturing for Jaehyun to sit down. “Glad to see you’re getting along well with him, huh?”

 

“He’s pretty nice, I guess. I dunno, I was blindly trying to find your house when someone kind of sidetracked me. Doyoung? I think that was his name.”

 

“Aish, that kid,” Hansol shakes his head mirthfully, leaning back in his seat. The dim lighting revealed the fatigue ingrained in his face. “Don’t take him too seriously, you hear me? He gossips too much.”

 

“Hm,” Jaehyun grunts absentmindedly. “I think they were trying to hide something from me, hyung.”

 

“And what would that be?” Hansol asks, a glint in his eye.

 

“I don’t know!” Jaehyun exclaims. “I said I was looking for you after Doyoung left, then all of a sudden both of them started acting weird as hell.”

 

“Both? I thought it was just Doyoung and Kun,” Hansol quirked his eyebrows. 

 

“Oh, yeah, the third person was a boy named Yuta,” Jaehyun told him. “Forgot to mention him.” The way Hansol responded after he mentioned Yuta was almost identical to the way Yuta and Kun had responded when he had mentioned Hansol.

 

“Oh… Um… Yuta?” Hansol says, fidgeting. “Okay, go on.”

 

“Kun was about to say something about you, I think, but Yuta stopped him. Are you hiding something from me, hyung?” Jaehyun cocks his head. 

 

Hansol sighs. “You’ll know what’s up sooner or later. I can’t tell you right now, kid, but I will tell you that it’s nothing you have to worry about. I kind of don’t know what’s wrong, either. Thanks for telling me, Jaehyun, because now I need to go talk to them about… something.”

 

“I’ll take you back to the common area, okay? I know, I know, I’m sorry,” Hansol gave him a pleading look. “I swear to God, I’m going to tell you everything after a couple of days.”

 

“You promise?” Jaehyun gives him his most scathing look.

 

“I swear,” Hansol hastily pulls on a coat and a pair of shoes. “I will tell you everything.”

 

“You’d better, hyung,” Jaehyun sighs, walking towards the door with him. 

  
“Yes, I will. Now, let’s go,” Hansol leads Jaehyun out of the house and closes the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. ;A;
> 
> Thank you so much for the kudos + comments + bookmarks!


	6. Where is My Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hansol is an impulsive little shit.

Just as Kun hadn’t spoken to Jaehyun on the way to Hansol’s house, Hansol didn’t speak to Jaehyun on the way back. However, the silence was more suffocating than awkward this time.

 

Hansol walked so quickly Jaehyun struggled to keep up with him. He was confused and upset, wanting to get a full explanation of everything from Hansol, but he bit his lip and held the questions back. 

 

He would find out, sooner or later, anyways.

 

\--

 

As soon as Jaehyun had mentioned Yuta, Hansol felt a sinking feeling in his body, on top of the cavern of emotions that was currently trying to collapse on itself. 

 

For a couple of days already, he had been feeling like complete shit. He hadn’t been able to get more than a few hours, on and off, of sleep every night. 

 

Hansol knew it was because the person on the other side of their bond must have felt like shit as well.

 

There had been something nagging at the back of his mind, a voice that got louder every  _ fucking  _ hour. At least, it seemed like it. 

 

As soon as Jaehyun had mentioned Yuta, sirens had gone off in his head. Perhaps Yuta was upset with him for distancing himself from him these past couple of weeks. No, scratch that. Yuta was  _ definitely upset _ .

 

After he had directed Jaehyun back to their pack alpha’s home, he decided that today was the day he was going to take the initiative to get the main material he needed to make Yuta’s gift. Hansol was restless, and he couldn’t stay at home any longer and ponder about whether or not Yuta hated him for acting like a complete douchebag now.

 

Before he headed out into the forest, Hansol murmured an apology to their pack leader under his breath.

 

\--

 

Jesus Christ.

 

After Jaehyun had mentioned Hansol, Yuta knew he couldn’t stay and chat. He would definitely go mad.

 

He desperately wanted to go to Hansol’s house, but he felt like if he did, he might just make whatever situation he was in worse. So, he cooped himself in his house, buried under a massive pile of blankets and tried to will all the bad feelings away.

 

Hansol’s scent lingered in the blankets, and Yuta couldn’t tell if it was making him feel better or worse. He felt so fatigued, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. 

 

After some time, Yuta hauled himself out of bed, tugged on a hoodie, and stumbled out of the house. He knew he could find refuge at Kun’s home. 

 

When he knocked on the door, it was Kun who answered it. “Oh, hey, Yuta! What are you doing here, now? Come in,” Kun greeted, opening the door wider.

 

“Hey, sorry for coming over so… randomly,” Yuta sighed, stepping inside the house. It was toasty inside, so Yuta shrugged off his hoodie and set it aside.

 

Kun shook his head, heading back towards the other side of the room to the kitchenette. There was a dirty utensils and some measuring cups lying below a large metal bowl on the countertop. “No, no, it’s fine. I was just baking something… just put it in the oven, so I only need to clean up now,” Kun murmured. “Go on, talk, I’m listening. I just need to clean up first.”

 

Yuta sat down in the sofa near their fireplace and laid his jacket on top of himself. “God, I feel like crap.” He closes his eyes and runs a hand through his hair.

 

“What’s wrong?” Kun asked, quickly rinsing everything under the faucet. 

 

“You know how Doyoung said that maybe Hansol doesn’t want me anymore?” Yuta mumbled in a small voice, curling up in the couch.

 

“...You think you’re starting to believe him, aren’t you?” Kun responds apprehensively.

 

Yuta nods. “I know I shouldn’t, but… Hansol really has been acting a bit differently around me these past few weeks.”

 

“Well,” Kun replied, “even if he has been acting differently around you, perhaps he has other intentions. Why would you think Doyoung is right? You and I both know he’s the biggest gossip in our pack.”

 

“Because Hansol’s been  _ ignoring me _ ,” Yuta mutters. “I don’t know, he’s never been like this before. If anything was wrong, he would’ve told me already.”

 

“Perhaps Hansol might be scared of telling you something. Maybe he feels pressured not to tell you something. The point is, you never know, Yuta, until you actually go directly confront him about it,” Kun advises. “There’s definitely a chance that he might be planning something for you, since you know what’s coming up.”

 

“I don’t want to think about this anymore,” Yuta groans. “C’mere, Kun.”

 

Kun takes off his apron, walking over to where Yuta was sitting. “What do you want me to do?”

 

Yuta mutters something into a nearby pillow that sounds something like “cuddle with me,” so Kun obliges, sitting down next to Yuta and curling up against him. Yuta loosely wraps an arm around Kun’s waist, eyes still shut.

 

“Kun,” Yuta mumbles, “how are things going between you and Sicheng recently?”

 

“Quite well, I guess you could say,” Kun replies after some time. “I… I didn’t tell you- well, I didn’t tell anyone this, but I guess now might be the right time to say it. Yesterday, I caught Sicheng in the shed making something. He hid it from me as soon as I came in, so it’s kinda obvious what he was doing.”

 

“Mm,” Yuta smiles in amusement. “Did you catch what it was?”

 

“No, but I could tell it was something made out of wood. That’s it, I guess,” Kun responds, running a hand through Yuta’s hair. “I… I have a hunch about why he’s making something.”

 

“What is it?” Yuta asks. He knew that Sicheng was one of the most skilled craftsmen in their pack, so it wasn’t a surprise that he was working in the shed.

 

“I’m pretty sure he’s making something for me,” Kun says in a quiet voice. “I know he’s been hinting that he wants to… he wants us to become mates this year.” Kun sighs.

 

“Hey, that’s great!” Yuta exclaims. “You should be pretty excited, then, huh?”

 

“Well… Yeah, I guess,” Kun replies. “I dunno, man, then he brought up the topic of  _ kids  _ and I just…”

 

“You don’t think you’re ready, do you?”

 

Kun mumbles, “I don’t think I’m ready. But what do I do? Sicheng  _ loves  _ children, and I can’t exactly let him down on that. I mean, I like kids, too, but… I don’t think the time is right.”

 

“Yeah, I get it,” Yuta nods. “But just like… what you told me about Hansol… you should talk to Sicheng about your thoughts on that…”

 

“It’ll be really hard to tell him,” Kun murmurs. “But you’re right, I should try.”

 

“He’s your mate, he’ll listen to you,” Yuta says softly, yawning.

 

“If you’re tired, you can sleep here,” Kun offers kindly. “It’s a mess out there, with so many people preparing for mating season… And remember, our heats are supposed to start sometime around today, so you should get as much rest as you can.”

 

“Mm,” Yuta buries his face into Kun’s chest, “I think I’ll take you up on that offer. Thank… you.”

 

“No problem, hyung,” Kun smiles good-naturedly. 

 

\--

 

Yuta dreams of being chased by someone- or something, he wasn’t quite sure- and wakes up with a start, covered in cold sweat.

 

He’s in Kun’s house, he recalls, as he tries to calm his racing heart. Blearily looking around the room, he sees that he isn’t alone in the room.

 

“... Kun?” Yuta mumbles drowsily. Kun was bustling around in the kitchen, reorganizing some jars in a cabinet. 

 

“Oh!” Kun turns his head. “You’re awake. Did you sleep well, hyung?”

 

“... Better than I have in a long time,” Yuta responds, but he still felt tired.

 

“That’s good,” Kun replies. “Wanna stay for dinner? It’s nighttime now, if you haven’t noticed, and I already finished making dinner. Sicheng’s probably not going to come over tonight, and I hate eating alone, so… Unless you have other plans, perhaps you’d consider staying?”

 

Yuta sighs. “Alright.” He thinks he would much rather have someone to talk to to take his mind off of things instead of sulking back at home. “Thanks for everything.”

 

“Don’t mention it,” Kun smiles, grabbing a few small plates and setting them on the table in front of the couch. “I made some bread pudding for dinner, it’s not really anything big.”

 

“No, it’s fine, I’m fine with it,” Yuta reassures. To be honest, he didn’t have much of an appetite, but he hadn’t really had much of an appetite for a couple of days already.

 

While they ate, a frantic knock came at the door.

 

“Kun, is Yuta in there with you?” It was Sicheng’s voice, frantic and desperate. Kun got out of his seat and rushed to the door. 

 

“Yeah, he’s here,” Kun replied, opening the door. “Is something wrong?”

  
Sicheng’s heavy gaze shifted onto Yuta. “Your boyfriend- he’s in critical condition at the infirmary.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been pretty busy these past couple of days, so I'm really sorry for the slow updates! o(´д｀o)  
> Thank you so much for leaving kudos + comments + bookmarks.


	7. Promises of Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hansol, you fucking idiot."

Yuta leapt off the sofa and pushed past Sicheng, barging out the door. It was the dead of night now, but there were still so many people milling around outside.

 

Had Hansol gotten into a fight? No, he couldn’t have. Frantic thoughts rushed through Yuta’s head as he ran through towards the infirmary. There was a crowd of people outside the infirmary, and only a few people inside.

 

His eyes stung harder as the wind whipped against them. Soon, he saw the telling artificial glow of the entrance of the infirmary and willed his feet to move faster. Yuta flew right through the crowd, through the doors, and into the receptionist’s office and waiting room. 

 

There were other people inside, people he recognized as Ten, Johnny, Hansol’s father, and the pack leader. He breathlessly asked the pack leader what had happened, and the response was, “I don’t know what happened, either, kid. I’m really sorry.”

 

Johnny and Ten were talking quietly to each other on the side, not paying any heed to Yuta.

 

Hansol’s father gave him an unreadable expression, then sighed, eyes downcast. “C’mere, son. Let’s wait until we’re allowed to go see him.” Yuta crept to sit next to him. He felt unreasonably nervous as he waited, almost like he had done something wrong.

 

Yuta blankly stared up at the clock, watching the second hand move jerkily around the wooden face. His hands played with a loose string on his sweatpants as he fidgeted in his seat.

 

An arm wrapped loosely around his shoulders, breaking him out of his trance. It was Hansol’s father, who gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze, giving him a fatigued smile. “Yuta, son, don’t worry so much. You and I both know that Hansol’s a strong boy. He’ll… He should be alright.”

 

Yuta gives Hansol’s father the most reassuring smile he can muster, but he knows it’s not convincing in the slightest. He nods wordlessly. 

 

Yuta felt so fucking hopeless and confused right now, he felt like he was about to drown. He didn’t know what was going on with Hansol these past couple of weeks, and just the thought of Hansol lying in an uncomfortable, cold hospital room, ailing from some injuries or illnesses that Yuta didn’t even know how he got in the first place made him want to bury himself underground and never come back.

 

Just as the clock ticked to about 11:27, a weary nurse came out of a hallway and asked them if they had any questions.

 

“Hansol… He appears to have been in a fight with a bear,” the nurse reported, in an unsure manner.

 

“What? He knows he shouldn’t go out hunting alone-  _ especially _ not for bears,” the pack leader’s eyes were wide and his brows were furrowed. “What was he thinking?”

 

Hansol’s father from beside Yuta cringed, and Ten and Johnny’s shifted uncomfortably in their seats, sharing a look with each other.

 

Why on earth would Hansol just go out and do that? Everyone in the pack knew that taking on a bear was definitely not something someone could successfully do by themselves.

 

“He’s currently awake, but he’s weak,” the nurse continued. “Hansol is quite lucky that nothing vital was injured- he’ll go on to make a full recovery. His condition stabilized within the hour- his current state is quite remarkable. Anyways, he didn’t want to talk to us about anything, so we’re going to need someone to… talk to him about what might have happened. We still aren’t sure exactly what occurred. ” After hearing this, Yuta let out a relieved breath that he had been holding for a while.  _ Hansol was still there _ , Yuta thought.

 

The nurse pursed her lips and glanced at them, silently asking them who wanted to see Hansol.

 

Everyone gave furtive looks to each other, until Yuta felt a hand on his back, pushing him forward. 

 

“Yuta, go,” Hansol’s father told him seriously, with nods of agreement from everyone else. “Knowing him, he’s only going to want to talk to you right now.”

 

\--

 

Yuta bit the inside of his cheek when he walked inside Hansol’s room. It was a brightly lit room, with the crisp antiseptic smell of a hospital that Yuta detested.

 

Hansol was lying amongst snowy white sheets, wide eyes tentatively staring at him.

 

“... I fucked up, didn’t I?” Hansol murmurs after a few minutes, voice obscured by the blanket covering his mouth. Yuta didn’t respond, because he didn’t know how to. He stood there quietly. “Y’know, I… I don’t blame you at all if you’re really pissed off at me right now.”

 

Several seconds passed before Yuta replied, trying to get a grip on himself. “... I’m not mad. I’m just…” Yuta quickly blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall. “... I…” He swallowed, knowing he must have looked like a fool.

 

“I don’t know why you’re acting like this all of a sudden,” Yuta mumbled, staring down at the ground. “I don’t… I don’t know what’s going on.” His throat felt constricted, like it always did when he wanted to cry.

 

“I’ll tell you why,” Hansol breathed. “I didn’t pay attention to you because I was scared. I was fucking terrified that you would reject me.”

 

“For what?” Yuta wanted to scream, but it came out in a pathetically small voice. “Where on earth did you get that idea from?”

 

“Yuta, I haven’t been paying much attention to you these days and I’m genuinely sorry about that. I’ve barely been able to sleep properly, and I’m sure you haven’t been able to, either. The reason I decided to go hunt a bear alone... is because I needed its fur, but I didn’t want anyone else to know why I needed it. I tried to keep it a secret. Then, I thought that if all went well, I would be able to give it to you in the form of a coat on the day after tomorrow as a gift. On that day, when I gave you the coat, I was going to ask you a question. And...”

 

The room plunged into silence, the sound of chatter from the corridor outside and the faint beeping of machines bleeding into the room. 

 

“Hansol, you idiot,” Yuta choked, watching some tears drip onto his shoes. “You  _ fucking  _ idiot.” He took a few deep breaths. “I… Why would you ever doubt me?  _ Yes,  _ my answer is and will always be yes. I don’t need anything fancy like that, hell, I don’t  _ need  _ a gift. All I ever needed was you-  _ oh, God, I’m going to regret saying all of this shit later _ \- fuck, I love you so much-”

 

Hansol let out a relieved breath. “Okay, okay, Yuta. Babe, everything’s going to be alright now, okay? Come here, I want to see you.”

 

Yuta shuffled over to Hansol’s bedside, bangs plastered to his face. He lets out a shaky laugh as he uses his hands to brush his hair out of his face. “I’m just… I was just… terrified about what might have happened to you after the nurse told us what had happened.”

 

“Well, I’m here now, and that’s what matters,” Hansol says quietly. “I haven’t seen your face properly in so long, come closer.”

 

Yuta hastily wiped his tear-tracked face with a sleeve before he leaned in, cautious to maintain his balance. “And whose fault is that?” he breathed as he moved closer to Hansol, so close that he could feel the other’s breath skimming his face.

 

“All mine,” Hansol said with a sheepish grin, before using one hand to pull Yuta down closer. Their lips met in a gentle kiss, before Yuta pulled away.

 

Hansol let out an unsatisfied noise, and Yuta gave him a look. “I think both of us know that it’s not a good idea to… go overboard with that right now.” 

 

“Then I guess I’ll just have to save it for after I get better, babe,” Hansol replied nonchalantly, chuckling when he saw Yuta’s face flush. His expression sobered when he continued. “Are you really willing to become my mate? Really, truly, after everything that I did?”

 

“Do you really think these years we spent together meant nothing to me?” Yuta tilted his head.

 

Hansol stared intently at Yuta, who shook his head. 

 

“Yes,” Yuta murmured. “I’m absolutely willing to become your mate, Hansol. All you needed to do was ask me.”

 

Hansol’s face lit up, a grin spreading across his face. “Great,” he said with a quiet laugh. “God, I can’t actually believe I just asked you to become my mate… like this.”

 

“How come?”

 

“Y’know, one year ago, I would have said I would have prepared a big ass ceremony with all the works,” Hansol replied. “My parents always told me that when you find… the one, that was what you should’ve done.”

 

“Funny you should say that, since my parents actually told me the same things, except I never listened to them,” Yuta confessed with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, I’m being honest when I’m telling you that I really don’t need anything.”

 

“You’re out of luck, babe,” Hansol responded, sticking out his tongue. “Even though I landed myself in the infirmary at the same time, I somehow killed the bear, too. Sorry, I forgot to mention that part.”

 

Yuta gave him a look. “What? You killed the bear alone?”

 

“Yup,” Hansol replied seriously. “I did. Which means… You’re getting a new coat from me so you don’t freeze your ass off like you did last year, Yuta.”

 

“Aish,” Yuta sighed, using a hand to touch Hansol’s face. 

 

A knock came at the door. “Oh, shoot, I think I might have spent a little too much time talking to you. Do you want me to tell them what happened, or do you want to tell them yourself?”

 

“Who are you referring to?”

 

“It wasn’t just me waiting for you outside, our leader, Ten, Johnny, and your father were also out there,” Yuta said in a hurried voice.

 

“Oh, have them all come in, then,” Hansol mumbled in an unsurprised tone. “You can go home now and rest, babe, I’ll be fine here. You know how fast I heal.”

 

“You’ll really be okay alone?” Yuta raised an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah, Yuta,” Hansol repeated. “I’ll be alright. You can come visit me tomorrow during visiting times, okay?”

 

“Yeah,” Yuta nodded. “Yeah, I will. Love you.”

 

“Love you too,” Hansol reciprocated cheerfully. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience- I've been pretty busy these days so I didn't have much time to write.  
> (I PROMISE I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT OUR BABY JAEHYUN OR OUR BELOVED TY TRACK. ;A;)
> 
> Thank you so much for leaving kudos + comments + bookmarks! (Also, thank you to those of you who have been sending prompts and messages on Tumblr! <3)
> 
> \--
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr for fic updates and more! Link down below.


	8. Easy

“So, you little punk,” the pack leader mumbled drowsily. “I’m not gonna ban you from hunting if you swear that you aren’t going to do something crazy like this again, at least not without prior warning. Tell the truth, kid.”

 

“I swear,” Hansol earnestly replied. “I’m really sorry for causing trouble. I don’t think I’ll do it again.”

 

“Good. Now keep it that way, alright, Hansol?” The pack leader sighed. “It’s really late now, I’m going to go back home. Got a ceremony to run tomorrow, and you can attend it as long as the nurses say you’re okay. Heard from one of ‘em that you heal really fast, so that’s good.”

 

Hansol nodded guiltily, suddenly remembering that he owed his new friend Jaehyun an explanation. 

 

\--

 

When Jaehyun woke up, he saw a lacquered wooden ceiling. The room was warm, even though he noticed that there was a light dusting of snow outside. 

 

Although he was tempted to run outside to touch it, snow being a rare occurrence where he used to live, he slowly got out of bed to check how he was healing up. There wasn’t much pain anymore, which made him cheer up a bit.

 

A knock came at his door. “Jaehyun, you’re awake now, right?” It was the pack leader, as expected.

 

“Yeah,” Jaehyun called back.

 

“Remember that your opening ceremony is today,” the pack leader stated. “Hustle up and get dressed, we don’t want to be late. Do you have suitable clothes?”

 

“Mmm, what do you mean?” Jaehyun asked nervously. He had only taken clothing that he wouldn’t feel bad about ruining. 

 

“Well, it _ is _ a formal ceremony, albeit a small one.”

 

Jaehyun quickly scampered over to the little wardrobe in his room, opening it and rummaging around, not even feeling bad about ruining the neat arrangement of the clothing. There were only casual clothes inside.

 

“Sorry… I don’t think I have any,” he murmured. 

 

“That’s alright,” the pack leader replied after some time. “Just dress neatly, alright? I’ll wait for you outside with some food.”

 

“Yeah… Thank you,” Jaehyun replied apologetically, fidgeting with a shirt that he felt would be most appropriate to wear in his hands.

 

“No problem,” the man’s voice responded distantly.

 

Jaehyun recalled that pretty much everyone he had seen in the pack was at least wearing something semiformal, which was one of the first major observations he had made when he first came. It was strange, but not strange enough to warrant Jaehyun to ask any questions.

 

He hastily got dressed before fixing his hair to make it seem at least somewhat presentable in front of the little mirror in the bathroom just outside his room. Jaehyun washed his face and wiped the excess water off with a large bath towel hanging on a wooden hook near the door. 

 

When he went out of the bathroom, he glanced at the walls of the hallway leading to the living room. The photographs were arranged strangely, not in any particular order. Some sections of the wall were barren, while others were covered with photos of the pack leader, someone who looked like his wife, and someone who was presumably his daughter. The majority of the framed photographs were of the latter.

 

Jaehyun made a note to ask him about his family when it was appropriate, being curious about them. The pack leader never really mentioned them.

 

The leader waited outside, turning his head as soon as Jaehyun walked out. “Hey! You excited for your welcoming ceremony?”

 

“Yeah,” Jaehyun responded in a completely unconvincing manner. In reality, he felt terrified to speak out in front of so many strangers. 

 

“Alright, that’s great. Here’s your breakfast,” the man handed him a warm plain bagel, which Jaehyun took gratefully. As they walked towards wherever the event would be held, Jaehyun chewed slowly on the tasteless, spongy material. When he swallowed, he forced himself to keep it down.

 

\--

 

Yuta waited patiently within the crowd of people in the audience. It was cold outside, but the sun had come out and Yuta found it bearable.

 

It was that boy’s welcoming ceremony- Jaehyun, he recalls- and Yuta didn’t want to miss it. He was quite curious regarding why he had come to their pack, and where he had come from. He was also sorry for leaving so abruptly that day, and the boy probably wanted an explanation.

 

Kun was sitting next to him, shivering. “I  _ don’t  _ regret coming out here, for your information,” Kun muttered with a glare, as if he could read his mind. There was a massive scarf wrapped around his neck that their pack leader wouldn’t really approve of, but he was still shivering. 

 

Yuta snorted. “You look like what Rudolph the reindeer would look like as a human. Red-nosed and  _ retarded _ .”

 

Kun shot a look towards him, quickly turning towards Sicheng to possibly gain some support, only to find him trying not to laugh as well. With a sigh, he turned to face Yuta again.

 

“How are you in such good spirits when… you know... your mate literally got attacked by a bear yesterday? Or at least, rumor has it that that happened.”

 

“He doesn’t like it when I worry,” Yuta sighed. “Besides, we all know how quickly he heals. There’s no use lamenting over something that never happened.”

 

Kun nodded, turning back to face the stage when the audience suddenly hushed. He stuck his head up, trying to see what was going on over the sea of heads.

 

“Look! Jaehyun and our leader’s going up,” Kun whispered excitedly.

 

Sure enough, their pack leader was walking up the stone steps on the side of the stage, closely followed by a shy-looking Jaehyun. 

 

“Hello everyone, thanks for attending this welcoming ceremony, even on such a cold day,” the pack leader’s voice resonated across the amphitheatre. “I’m sure our new pack member appreciates all of your consideration. He’s going to tell all of you about himself right now.”

 

The pack leader gestured for Jaehyun to take center stage, which he did. The crowd applauded politely, and Jaehyun looked flustered.

 

Kun made a sound of affection in his throat. “Cute,” he murmured adoringly. Yuta smiled at that.

 

“Hey,” Jaehyun said quietly. 

 

The audience responded with various greetings, ranging from a simple “hello” to a specific “good morning.”

 

“My name is Jung Jaehyun,” he said, this time more confidently. “I’m very thankful to be standing here today.”

 

\--

 

Jaehyun looked out at the crowd. Everyone was wearing nice, warm clothing, and Jaehyun regretted not bringing a sweater. The people were quite taciturn, it seemed. Perhaps they were told not to ask too many questions.

 

He hesitated, biting his lip before speaking. Jaehyun reassured himself by telling himself that if these were the people he was going to be living among for the foreseeable future, why shouldn’t they know?

 

“... So, many of you might be wondering why I’m here in the first place. Well…” Jaehyun could practically  _ hear  _ the audience holding their breath in anticipation.

 

“I’m here because I presented as an omega recently, so my father pretty much exiled me from the pack. I was the northern pack leader’s eldest son,” Jaehyun explained. He almost felt ashamed to admit that, knowing that people would be judging him over just that one sentence.

 

His eyes wandered off to the side, where he met the eyes of a boy who disappeared as soon as their gazes met. Jaehyun can barely recall the boy’s face, only that he had the brightest eyes that he had seen, glinting in the tree’s shadow where he had been lurking in. He hadn’t been wearing nice clothes, either, which made Jaehyun feel a little less alone.

 

“I’m very grateful to the person who found me, and I’m thankful to the nurses who took care of me in the hospital for those first few days. Anyways, I hope we can all become good friends in the future,” Jaehyun rambled, not quite knowing what else to say.

 

\--

 

Yuta was, quite frankly, in shock. He was sure everyone else in the audience was even more shocked than he was.

 

He turned to furtively look at their pack leader, who had gone onstage to say some closing statements of sorts. “Yes, like Jaehyun said, I hope you will all treat him kindly. The boy’s gone through a lot, and we don’t need to cause him any more harm. Please welcome our newest pack member.”

 

Everyone applauded, but it was softer than it had been the first time. Yuta knew everyone had something to say, but they couldn’t say it. But he supposed that they were all thinking the same thing, that if the pack leader thought Jaehyun alright, then they would think Jaehyun alright, too.

 

“You can all greet him personally now,” the pack leader directed all gazes onto Jaehyun, who was standing below the stage now, in front of the people. 

 

\--

 

There was a different kind of vibe coming off of everybody today; Jaehyun was sure of it. He couldn’t smell anything, which really sucked, but he could see.

 

He was cautious when people approached him, one by one, to introduce themselves. Jaehyun could barely remember the names to the faces since everyone was moving by so quickly. Nobody seemed to act particularly odd in front of him, although he couldn’t exactly tell, either, with the speed that they were all moving at.

 

When it finally came time to go back home, Jaehyun felt like he hadn’t managed to get any closer to the other pack members. He stayed optimistic, however, since he already made a few friends before the ceremony, and they would be enough to keep him company. Besides, there was plenty of time to get to know the other members.

 

\--

 

“Alright, kid, wasn’t that nice?” the pack leader asked. “We should really get you home now, you’re going to get sick in this weather.”

 

“Yeah,” Jaehyun said absently with a smile. It had been so long since he had seen real snow, and even the sight of the remaining dusting of snow under the shadows of the trees made him happy.

 

When they reached the house, Jaehyun let out a satisfied sigh once the toasty air touched his icy skin. 

 

“Jaehyun, I’m sure you heard that mating season’s starting tomorrow,” the pack leader said.

 

Jaehyun nodded cautiously. “I have.”

 

“I don’t  _ think _ you’re going to be participating,” the man said jokingly. “Are you?”

 

He shook his head, flustered.

 

“Would you rather be here all day, or would you like to go out into the forests and explore?” the pack leader offered. “All the marketplaces are going to be closed, so there’s not much else to do.”

 

“I’d like to go outside,” Jaehyun responded immediately. The thought of being able to roam freely was alien to him, but it sounded enticing nonetheless. Back at his former pack, he wasn’t permitted to go many places.

 

“Hm, I thought you’d say that,” the man grinned. “I have some maps that you can use.”

 

“What if I encounter something dangerous?” Jaehyun asked, fidgeting. He  _ definitely  _ wouldn’t be able to get himself out of that.

 

“I’ll mark the areas where you shouldn’t go. Don’t worry, kid,” he reassured Jaehyun. “I can send my daughter to go out with you if you really want. She’s already mated.”

  
“No, it’s alright,” Jaehyun shook his head. He wanted to go  _ alone _ , even if it meant taking some risks. It would be the first time he got to really spend some time by himself since he had first arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for updating so slowly. ;A; Thank you so much for the never ending support. <3


	9. Patience is a Virtue

Hansol waited in anticipation as he smelled Yuta walking up to his room. There were undertones of something new, something sweet, but not overly so, in his scent today. With mating season coming the next day, Hansol wasn’t surprised that Yuta’s heat was about to begin.

 

The scent was probably enough to affect his judgement somewhat, he thinks. When the door opened-

 

“-Hey, Hansol!” Yuta grinned at him. Hansol noticed that his shoes were wet, and his face was flushed from the cold, so he had been outside for a while before coming over.

 

“Hi, baby,” Hansol smiled back. “I missed you.”

 

“Already?” Yuta raised an eyebrow, pulling up a chair from the side of the room. He sat down, smoothing the sides of his jacket afterwards. “How’re you feeling? I heard from the nurses that you were doing really well~”

 

“Mm, got some of my stitches taken out already, y’know?” Hansol told him proudly. “They said that at the rate I’m healing at, I only have to stay in place for two more days, and then I’m free to leave.”

 

“That’s great!” Yuta took a deep breath in, wrinkling his nose at the smell of antiseptics mixed in with Hansol’s scent. 

 

“You smell so good right now, baby,” Hansol murmured, reaching over to touch Yuta’s hair. He leaned into Hansol’s touch, closing his eyes. “I’m grateful I’m not an alpha, now, because I honestly couldn’t afford going into rut at a time like this,” he said with a chuckle.

 

“God, if I go into heat before you come out of this place, I don’t think I could survive,” Yuta whined. “Seriously, those heats from previous years  _ sucked _ , being alone and all. I feel like my heat’s going to start sometime today, though, which… Isn’t ideal.”

 

“If you go into heat before I get discharged, I think that’ll make for a very unpleasant and awkward stay for both me and the people around me here,” Hansol said, only half-joking. “I would go insane, too... By the way, where were you before you came here?”

 

“I was at- I was at the welcoming ceremony,” Yuta said uneasily. “My shoes are wet because there was a bit of snow outside.”

 

“For Jaehyun, right?” Yuta nodded. “What happened?”

 

“Well,” Yuta began. “He is from the northern pack, not from here. The reason I couldn’t smell any particular scent on him is because his parents kicked him out since… he presented as an omega.”

 

“Why would they do that?” Hansol furrowed his brows.

 

“Because,” Yuta said in a quieter voice. “Because he was the eldest son of his parents, who were the pack’s leaders.”

 

“Oh,” Hansol uttered dumbly. Well, that was… surprising, and quite horrifying, actually. How the hell had Jaehyun ended up so injured? Had his parents beaten him? Thinking back, this story was almost identical to the event that they had all been forbidden to talk about, one that had happened only a year or two ago. “And… And he’s okay with him?”

 

“Well, I guess. God forbid that man to have some other plans for the poor boy,” Yuta murmured sadly, shaking his head. “I genuinely hope he doesn’t have to go through any more suffering like that, it must have been terrible.”

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Hansol agreed honestly. “I hope so, too.”

 

“I hope that our future children never have to go through something like that,” Yuta fidgeted in his seat. “Hm, I’m not sure I’m even ready to deal with kids right now.”

 

“It’s up to you, babe,” Hansol gave him a supportive smile. “Although… I heard that Ten and Johnny might want to try this year.”

 

“Really?” Yuta exclaimed, surprised. “I didn’t think they were ever going to want children. I mean, you know how they’re like.” 

 

Hansol shrugged. “Maybe their plans changed, you never know.”

 

“Imagine how their kids might turn out,” Yuta said thoughtfully. “They’ll end up being quirkier than their parents,” he said with a giggle. 

 

“Mm, that’ll be a nightmare for everyone,” Hansol joked lightheartedly. “Think they’ll be tall or short?”

 

“Dunno, since Johnny’s been a giant and Ten’s been small ever since we were children,” Yuta shrugged. “Maybe they’ll be of average height, who knows?”

 

“Yeah,” Hansol said agreeably, shifting in his bed. “Maybe.” 

 

The room plunged into silence, and they were having some sort of abstract staring contest. The wall clock ticked a few times before Yuta spoke.

 

“It’s almost lunchtime now,” Yuta noted. “Want anything? I’m not having you live off of crappy hospital food all the time.”

 

“Just get whatever you can get your hands on right now,” Hansol said passively. “I’ll eat anything, don’t make a big deal out of it.”

 

\--

 

Jaehyun was almost grateful he had lost his sense of smell. Judging by the way people were acting, it wouldn’t have been something he wanted to scent. There were barely any people outside, since first of all, it was frigid, and second of all, many people had already gone into heat or rut and were staying at home.

 

Presumably, they were who the rest of the pack could smell right now. Everyone looked mildly uncomfortable as they waited in line for stew. Some people were giving him looks, which made him uneasy.

 

He got his stew and sat underneath an overhanging roof. The steam billowing off of the stew tickled his face and he grinned at the sensation.

 

As Jaehyun ate, his mind was blank, as if the cold temperature had frozen it, too. The stew was tasteless, rapidly cooling in the frigid temperatures, and Jaehyun felt numb. In all actuality, life had been exhausting Jaehyun these past couple of days, and it almost felt like he couldn’t get close to anybody here.

 

He missed his best friend so much, and even though it felt wrong, he missed his mother’s touch and how his father would always encourage him when he messed up, which happened fairly often. That, of course, was back when they, along with the rest of the pack, had assumed he was an alpha. Jaehyun himself was always impartial to the idea of presenting as a beta or an omega, but he let himself be convinced that he was an alpha.

 

A bitter smile spread across his face as he thought about just how wrong he was. 

 

He allowed his mind to wander until he remembers that that boy- Hansol- he was nowhere to be seen, and he still owed Jaehyun an explanation for everything. 

 

It was painfully close to the beginning of mating season, and Jaehyun realizes that perhaps Hansol… No, wait, he couldn’t go into rut, he was a  _ beta _ . Hansol had been looking for a gift, Jaehyun recalled.

 

He sighs. Perhaps it would be better not to go find him until mating season was over. He’d have to find new company in the meantime.

 

\--

 

Yuta had been feeling antsier and antsier, staying next to Hansol all day. All of a sudden, all that tension was released in a flood of arousal and he froze, mid-sentence.

 

Hansol gave him a strange look, which soon melted into a worried one. “You’re in heat, Yuta.”

 

Yuta nodded nervously. “I… I’ll go back home now,” he murmured, grabbing his jacket and making a move to get out of the chair. He needed to leave before it got worse and he lost control over himself.

 

“No, go to my house,” Hansol told him. “You know where everything is, so you might as well.”

 

Yuta stared at him owlishly. “Alright, I will,” he said with a nod. Something inside him didn’t want to leave, was tethering him to Hansol. 

 

“Babe,  _ go now _ ,” Hansol rumbled, something low and almost predatory underlying in his voice. Yuta cringed as he felt slick start seeping out, as if in response.

 

“Yuh-yeah, I’ll go. I’ll be waiting for you,” Yuta backed out of the room unsteadily, almost tripping over something on the way. He closed the door behind him, shutting it a bit more forcefully than he should have. Although he didn’t want to leave, he’s experienced worse in the past and he grits his teeth as he exits the infirmary, cold air whiplashing his heated skin.

 

There weren’t many people outside, for obvious reasons. It was freezing cold and his jacket wasn’t doing a very good job. The sun that had been out earlier had disappeared, casting a sullen grey look to everything.

 

Yuta walked faster, because he didn’t want slick-frozen pants by the time he got to Hansol’s house, which sounded nasty. He probably looked like a wreck right now.

 

He swung open the door when he finally arrived at Hansol’s home, tearing off his jeans and unbuttoning his shirt, tossing both of them aside on the nearby couch and leaving him in nothing but his boxers. Even Hansol’s shitty heating couldn’t make the fire burning inside of him extinguish, and he growled in frustration.

 

Hansol’s scent was engraved in everything inside of the house and he didn’t know if it made him feel better or not. Right now, he needed the  _ real thing _ . He needed Hansol, but how long had he said it was going to be before he was discharged from the infirmary? One day? Two days? Yuta was sure his mind was playing tricks on him.

 

He pulled a towel out from a cabinet, along with a pillow, and pours himself a glass of water before stumbling back into the tiny living room and throwing the towel and cabinet onto the couch. Yuta tried not to drop the glass of water as he set it on the table, his hands were shaking so badly. 

 

Unceremoniously flopping onto the couch, he adjusted the pillow and the towel to be positioned underneath his hips. It would temporarily prevent him from becoming a fucking  _ slug  _ for at least half an hour or so and really making a mess all over Hansol’s house. Perhaps he could fall asleep during that time, he thinks blearily. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so fucking stressed these days, I can't even breathe properly. Thank you so much for staying patient with me all this time, your support means the world to me. I'm sorry for this chapter, and I honestly don't blame you if you thought it was sub-par. Frankly, I'm disappointed with the result, too.


	10. One Can Only Hope

Jaehyun awoke, greeted by the ice cold air as he had been for a while now. There were new clothes lying on the end of his bed, and he blinked once, just to make sure he hadn’t been hallucinating.

 

On the bed, there were two pairs of jeans, a woolen beige sweater, and two button-up white shirts. It was definitely not what he would personally choose to wear, but he would accept them nonetheless, knowing it would only be right. There was a scrap of paper lying on the sweater that he picked up and read.

 

The handwriting was impeccable, as if the person writing it had meticulously formed every letter and made sure every little detail was perfect. It was from the pack leader, although he couldn’t say for sure, since the person who wrote it hadn’t signed it off.

 

It read, “Wear these new clothes today when you go out, it’s cold. Take the maps (below your bed) and go ahead. Just come back before dark.”

 

Jaehyun grinned excitedly, putting the note back on his nightstand. Today was the day he could go explore.

 

\--

 

Ten hummed cheerily as he gently tucked some freshly baked bread into a basket, lined with several pieces of cloth for insulation. He had way too much time to kill now that mating season had technically begun and he had no responsibilities.

 

He pulled on his thickest sweater over his collared shirt before walking outside into the cold. It was silent, almost eerily so, save for the crunch of his shoes on the frosted earth.

 

Ten pushed open the glass door of the infirmary, nodding in greeting to the attendant at the desk. “I’m here to visit Hansol.”

 

She nodded, getting out of her seat, leading him over to his room. Gently, she knocked on the door. “Hansol, you have a visitor.”

 

Ten wrinkled his nose as they waited for a response, almost confused at the scent of distress lingering in the air. The nurse seemed unfazed, although perhaps she just had a weak nose.

 

“Mm,” Hansol’s voice was stiff, uncharacteristic of him. “Come in.”

 

The nurse pushed open the door, letting Ten inside, before closing it after him.

 

“Hey, Hansol,” Ten greeted simply, leaving the bread basket on a table next to his bed. “How’re you doing?”

 

“Too well,” Hansol mumbled. “‘Wish I were still unconscious.”

 

Ten furrowed his brow. “What?” 

 

“Mmh…” Hansol buried his face inside his blankets. “They aren’t fucking letting me leave until tomorrow morning, or maybe even later tonight if I’m good, for some reason.”

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“In other words, Ten, a certain someone is in heat, and I’m trapped in this shithole when I’m very obviously… physically capable,” Hansol grumbled.

 

Ten made an expression of both extreme amusement and extreme sympathy at that. “Oh, man, it must be hell for you right now. But then again, it  _ was  _ your own choice to go and chase that bear.”

 

Hansol gave him an exasperated look. “Fuck you, Ten.”

 

“No thanks, hon’,” Ten grinned. “I got Johnny to do that for me.” Hansol rolled his eyes.

 

“Speaking of, why on earth are you even here? Mating season started  _ yesterday _ . Shouldn’t you be going off and doing whatever kinky shit you want with Johnny?” Hansol asked with a grimace on his face.

 

Ten shrugged. “He hasn’t gone into rut yet and I haven’t gone into heat. Considering we’re actually trying to have kids this year, it wouldn’t exactly be the best idea to start now.”

 

“Hm,” Hansol grunted irritably. Quite frankly, he just wanted to be alone until he was finally discharged from this fucking prison, but he knew from past experience that pretty much no one could change Ten’s mind (aside from Johnny).

 

\--

 

Jaehyun had bundled himself up in the clothes, grateful for something that would actually keep him warm without making him look like an overstuffed sofa. He considered morphing into wolf form, but he would have no way to carry the maps. Perhaps later on, when he got really familiar with the region.

 

He pulled the maps out and stuffed them in his bag, along with some water and a couple of snacks that he had packed beforehand. Jaehyun laced up his shoes and opened the door, walking outside. The cold stung at his face, but he didn’t really mind.

 

As it had been before, it was deserted outside, aside from one or two older looking pack members who were braving the cold, translucent clouds drifting from their mouths.

 

He walked by them, acknowledging them with a respectful smile, before moving on.

 

The forest was enshrouded by a fine, powdery dusting of snow and Jaehyun couldn’t tear his eyes away from the scenery surrounding him. 

 

He had been walking for some time when he spotted a bird flitting around on some lower tree branches. It was flying along a separate path, one that was branching off of the road he was currently on.

 

Quickly, he glanced at the map. The smaller path was clearly marked on it, so Jaehyun figured it would be alright to go on it instead.

 

As he continued to follow the narrow trail, he couldn’t help but grow a little bit anxious. All he could see for some distance were trees, and trees, and more trees.

 

Jaehyun couldn’t detect the scent of anything nearby, or even the road back. His hands tightened around the maps, and he stopped to examine them. 

 

He wasn’t quite sure where he was anymore. The map showed a large boulder where he should have been, but all he saw were trees. Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows and looked around the area, ducking under overgrown tree branches to get around.

 

There was nothing.

 

Perhaps if he kept walking, he’d stumble across a landmark, he thought optimistically. He wasn’t  _ really  _ that good at using maps, maybe he overestimated something.

 

On he went, deeper into the forest. 

 

\--

 

Yuta groaned into a pillow he was clutching over his face. He felt like he was suspended in the air from ropes, paralyzed and suspended.

 

The house felt stuffy, too stuffy, like the oxygen inside had been compressed and he was getting smothered. Slick was slowly dribbling down his inner thighs, even as he lay down.

 

Hansol’s scent was everywhere- it was driving him mad. As time passed, he faded in and out of consciousness. “God  _ damn it _ ,” he hissed when he finally forced himself to really open his eyes and take a look at his surroundings.

 

It was night time already, and Yuta didn’t even know whether or not he felt relieved or not that the entire day had passed by without him knowing. He raised his arm to look at his watch.

 

_ 11:09 _ , the digital interface displayed. Yuta blinked back at it drowsily. He had completely missed lunch and dinner, he thought, but he didn’t feel hungry in the slightest. His spirits lifted a little when he realized that tomorrow, tomorrow morning, Hansol would come back to him. His boyfriend was one night away and all he had to do was try to wait.

 

There was nothing he could think about to pass the time; his mind was overwhelmed by the heat.  _ 11:11 _ , his watch taunted when he checked it again. He let out a growl of frustration.

 

Yuta’s slick was honestly starting to feel gross against his skin, and he mentally apologized to Hansol and his towel. It would be pointless to change pants, since they would only get ruined as well. 

  
He lay on the couch, motionlessly. All he wanted was Hansol, he thought pleadingly. Why did the world hate him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sincerely apologetic for the slow updates and the less than wonderful quality of my writing recently. Things have been a bit of a mess for me and I don't think it's going to get any better in the near future. However, I'm feeling a little bit better about writing thanks to all of the beautiful comments left here and the kind messages sent to me on my tumblr. Thank you for everything all of you have done for me, I hope I do not disappoint you.


	11. Hold Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyun gets himself lost. Hansol goes home.

Well, Jaehyun was fucked. 

 

The sky was starting to fade into a mauve-red color, streaked with blues and deep purples. The shadows cast by the dense trees only got darker, and Jaehyun could barely make out the illustrations on the map anymore. He had completely forgotten where the time had went, constantly telling himself he would find his way out later. Jaehyun had seen too many interesting things, things he had never seen before, causing him to roam all over the forest in search of more.

 

Now, his sense of smell  _ and  _ his sight were gone. What the hell was he supposed to do now, wait under a tree and pray some large carnivorous animal didn’t fucking  _ sneak up  _ on him and eat him? Surely the pack leader would come back to find him.

 

In the meantime, he anxiously waited, waited for any signal that somebody was there to bring him back. It was downright frigid outside now that the sun had set, and he bundled his clothes around his body tighter, shivering.

 

He closed his eyes and kept his ears alert.

 

Some time passed- an owl hooted, some leaves were rustled by the wind, and still, nobody had come. Jaehyun swore that his fingers were about to be frozen off, and maybe the tips of his ears and nose, too.

 

\--

 

The nurse walked into Hansol’s room after finishing something Hansol didn’t care to pay any notice to. All the stitches and bandages had finally been removed, but it was probably just another check, just like what she had been doing  _ every time _ she came into his room. “Alright, sir, you’re all set to go. Somebody brought you some clothes to change into, I believe it was Ten? Anyways, change out of the hospital gown and you’re free to leave. We’re letting you out earlier because we heard about your little… dilemma from your friend, and because your body has healed enough at this point. It’s still nighttime right now, so please be safe on your way back home. We hope you can stay in good health from now on, alright?”

 

_ God damn _ , those were the sweet words Hansol had been deprived of for the past.. What, day and a half? He didn’t know and he didn’t  _ fucking  _ care. 

 

The only thing in his mind right now was that Yuta was in heat, or had been in heat for over a day already, and that he  _ needed him _ .

 

\--

 

Yuta was delirious with heat as he lay on the sofa, trying as hard as he could not to move. The neglected pleasure within him was starting to fade into pain. 

 

“Calm down, Yuta. He’ll be here in the morning,” Yuta tried to tell himself assertively, but it ended up as a whimper instead. 

  
  
  
  


Hansol’s scent suddenly spiked in the air, which was surprising, considering Yuta already felt smothered. It became stronger, and stronger, until all of a sudden, the door violently burst open, the sound of the lock breaking prominent. 

 

Yuta froze. “Hansol? Is that you?” He quickly glanced towards the window. Last he checked, it was nighttime, unless he had been hallucinating.

 

A pair of very familiar lips met his in a deep kiss, tongue licking into his mouth. “Yeah, babe,” Hansol sighed, “it’s me.”

 

Yuta wanted to sob out of happiness, but he couldn’t help but feel surprised, first. “W-Why are you here? It’s still-”

 

“-Yeah, I know, Yuta,” Hansol interrupted impatiently. “I was let out early. But I’m here now, I’m  _ here _ . I know you feel like crap right now, so,” Hansol smiled against his lips, “I’m gonna make you feel better.”

 

Yuta would have cringed at that line, but he put his priorities first. 

 

They kissed hungrily, Hansol’s hands messily undressing Yuta at the same time. He let out a sigh of relief when his slick-soaked pants were finally removed, the cold air brushing against his skin.

 

His own hands reached for Hansol’s shirt collar, awkwardly tugging at it until he heard Hansol chuckle, reaching to undress himself as well. Bare skin on skin contact, Yuta decided, was one of the best feelings in the world.

 

"God," Yuta breathed. "You don't know how long I wanted you."

 

Hansol murmured something against his skin, hushing him.

 

Yuta felt drugged at this point, the heat almost searing his feverish skin. Hansol's voice sounded like a drowned-out blur, a million miles away.

 

He was suddenly lifted off the sofa, Hansol's arms hooked underneath his legs. "We can't do this, babe- not here," he heard distantly. 

 

It was too long- way too long- since they had last had sex and Yuta's heat only magnified the effect of every touch. The house was dark, and Yuta barely knew where he was taking him to. 

 

His mind barely registered anything until Hansol had him pressed against a wall, two- or was it three?- fingers deep inside of him. The sensation felt spectacular, but he wanted was  _ more _ .

 

The beta was mouthing at his neck, and Yuta tilted his head back against the cold wall to expose more skin. It felt almost unreal, how good Hansol felt on his body after days of no physical contact. Yuta tightened his hold around Hansol's neck whenever he reached a spot inside of him that made his vision blur at the edges, making quiet noises of pleasure that only spurred his partner on. 

 

And then Hansol had him pressed even closer to his body, shallow thrusts slow and drawn out. "I got you," he drawls in between leaving feather-soft kisses on Yuta's jaw, tracing a trail down his neck to the little divot in between his collarbones. 

 

“You- you were obviously  _ very, very _ … capable-” Yuta muttered, “-of doing this to me, why the actual fuck didn’t you just book it out of that crappy hospital beforehand?”

 

“Excuse you, I suffered just as much as you did,” Hansol growled, thrusting into him harder. He dragged his teeth over Yuta’s neck, as if he were searching for the perfect spot to bite. “-nurses were trapping me in there. Besides, I did get out of there early, if you don’t remember.”

 

"Fuck-" Yuta gasps, putting a hand on Hansol's chest for support. “Damn it, Hansol, can you  _ not  _ talk about the  _ fucking  _ nurses right now?” The next thing he felt was Hansol’s lips on his own, silencing him.

 

He was being such a goddamned tease today, pushing Yuta to the brink of orgasm but not letting him find his release.

 

Just when Yuta thought he was going to come, Hansol abruptly pulled out and Yuta felt like he was about to crack into pieces. The sudden emptiness made him shiver, as if an icy breeze had kissed the sheen of sweat on his skin.

 

He's shaking in Hansol's arms, and they both take a minute to catch their breaths. Yuta gives Hansol a desperate look, eyes widened and lips parted.

The burning, tight feeling in Yuta's stomach never faded as Hansol gently laid him down onto the bed.

 

Hansol knocked Yuta's hands away from himself when he got too impatient. "Don't," Hansol warned as he got into position, right before thrusting in hard, as if to prove a point. It felt like every thrust that followed it felt harder and harder, Yuta's slick making obscene noises with every one of them. 

 

They fuck like that, Yuta staring up at Hansol with blown pupils, unable to tear his eyes away.

Every thrust was hitting just the right place, making Yuta see stars within the darkness of the room. He whimpers when he feels particularly close, chanting Hansol's name like it was the only word he knew. Every touch on his skin felt like fire, but he still wanted more.

 

"You're all mine," Hansol groaned, placing a shallow bite on the side of Yuta's neck. He licked apologetically at the wound, not minding the coppery taste on his tongue. It was the bite that would show everyone that they were mates. 

 

Yuta made an appreciative noise at that, clenching down on Hansol, a sure sign that he was about to come as well. Hansol entwined their hands as he thrusted in even harder, taking Yuta over the edge. He came with a shuddering, breathy moan after that, his release draining him.

The sight of Yuta lying below him looking like that, completely wrecked, had Hansol's orgasm chasing after him. 

 

He bottomed out against Yuta, the sound of their skin slapping filling the room. Yuta gasped, having not yet regained his senses after coming. His whole body was oversensitive and sore, but he tried to stay relaxed to allow Hansol free reign. 

 

"You’re taking me so well, baby," Hansol murmured approvingly, the praise making Yuta smile. “Ah- I’m close.”

 

Hansol came not long afterwards, milking out his orgasm in Yuta. Their chests were heaving, and their bellies were sticky with sweat and come. Yuta was shaking and Hansol leaned down, gently pressing their mouths together, lips curving into a grin. He affectionately pushed his mate's damp bangs out of his face. After some time, Hansol gingerly pulled out of Yuta, earning an unsatisfied whine from the boy. He felt so empty all of a sudden.

 

There was slick slowly dribbling out of Yuta's entrance, mixed with a bit of come and the feeling only made him feel mildly aroused again. 

 

Hansol was fucked out, and he collapsed in a heap next to Yuta, lazily slinging an arm around his middle. His eyes dragged onto his mate's bare body and he admired the marks he had made there. 

 

Yuta's pulse wouldn't stop racing, even after fatigue was beginning to drag at his body. His heat felt less severe now, thankfully, and all he wanted to do was fall asleep right here with Hansol. His half-closed eyes raked over his mate's face and neck. 

 

"I haven't marked you yet," Yuta rasped, throat dry. He was well aware of the fact that Hansol had left a mark on him, though. It hadn't hurt much, pleasure overwhelming any feeling of pain he might have had.

 

Hansol gave him an apologetic look. "Do it now, then," he said, tilting his head back.

Yuta thought it strange for one to leave the bite after mating, but something tugged at his heartstrings, telling him to claim his mate. After meeting Hansol's eyes one more time, he shifted forward and gently bit him at a spot right above his collarbone. He saw Hansol's adam's apple bob when he swallowed, and he murmured a word of apology against his skin as he softly licked the wound. When he was sure he wasn't bleeding anymore, he raised his head again with a smile.

 

"We're finally mates," Yuta breathed wearily, lying back against a pillow. Hansol gave him a depleted smile.

  
  
  
  
  


“Yeah.”

 

After some time, Hansol hauled himself up to grab a towel from the bathroom so he could clean his exhausted mate off, knowing he wouldn't have enough energy to take his usual post-sex shower. There was a whine of protest from his mate and Hansol rushed back, knowing that Yuta needed him close by. He kneeled down on his tired legs and hushed Yuta. "I'm here, Yuta, don't worry." 

 

(Hansol took care, taking time to carefully wipe at Yuta's skin. There was still slick leaking out, staining his inner thighs, and Hansol sighed quietly, knowing that Yuta's heat wasn't over yet. He looked over to see if he had missed any spots, before hastily wiping off his own body before tossing the soiled towel aside and collapsing back onto the bed.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm feeling a lot better now, even though I'm still busy. I can't say how thankful I am for you all giving me so much support over the past few weeks.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	12. If You Want (We Could Be Runaways)

Yuta blinked blearily, using one hand to brush his hair out of his face. The room was bright with cold-hued lights washing over everything in the room. It was  _ freezing _ . 

 

He turned around gingerly, grimacing when he felt the dried come and sweat on his body. There was a spot on his neck that was sore, and he recalled that he and Hansol had become mates. His head hurt a lot, he noticed, and he felt really, really tired, but anything was better than that terrible heat. Besides, it was probably just because of the cold and lack of sleep.

 

“Mmhhh…” Hansol groaned, groping around for Yuta with his eyes still closed. “Babe? Yuta?” His voice was awkward and croaky in the morning but hearing it made Yuta grin like an idiot. 

 

“I think my heat’s over,” Yuta said unsurely. “Just one day, that’s convenient, is it not?” Maybe it had to do with the fact that they had mated this year. Before, his heats would last for about a week.

 

Hansol’s ice cold fingers brushed against Yuta’s thigh before resting there contentedly.

 

“When we build our new house, we’re  _ going  _ to get a better heating system,” Yuta grumbled at his icy touch, before mumbling, “Besides, I don’t want you getting sick.”

 

“What was that?” Hansol asked, smiling slightly.

 

“I mean, I don’t want your cold-ass hands touching me anymore during wintertime, you idiot,” Yuta said, loudly. 

 

“Okay, sure,” Hansol murmured, before rolling over and wrapping his arms around Yuta’s waist. “ _ Sure _ that’s what you said, baby.”

 

“Get off,” Yuta grumbled, cheeks flushed. “We’re both hella gross right now, don’t even think about-”

 

“-Perfect excuse for a shower together,” Hansol replied cheekily.

 

“Pervert.”

 

\--

 

“Hey, kid, what’re you doing here?” a brusque voice appeared out of nowhere, making Jaehyun almost jump out of his skin. 

 

“I’m lost,” Jaehyun replied tensely. “I’m just lost.” Was this the person the pack leader sent to track him down? Because he sure didn’t sound like the right person.

 

He hears a sigh. “I’ll bring you back, ‘aight?”

 

“...”  _ What other choice do I have? _ “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.” He licks his lips anxiously, staying alert.

 

The moonlight permits enough visibility for him to see the back of the person he was following. “ _P_ _ lease _ ,  _ please _ don’t come back out here again. It’s really fucking dangerous.”

 

“What?” Jaehyun questioned, disbelieving.

 

“What do you mean, ‘what?’” the man scoffed. “Don’t you  _ know _ who I am? Do you know what this place is? Honestly, how the actual fuck are you still so calm?”

 

“... No, I’m from… another pack,” Jaehyun replied warily, confused. “I don’t know, to be honest, the pack leader said it would be okay to come out here. And weren’t you sent by him to… find me?”

 

“So the old man really did keep his word, didn’t he?” the man murmured, suddenly stopping. Jaehyun stopped as well. “Anyways, no, I sure as hell wasn’t sent by him.  _ Listen _ .” The man sighed, turning around. His face seemed youthful but then it seemed ashen, with bruises on his shockingly white skin smudged underneath his dark eyes. The man’s face was illuminated by the ghastly moonlight, and his silvery hair was dull. 

 

“Listen, kid. I know everything about you- or at least, as much as the other pack members back there know. We saw each other at your welcoming ceremony, but I left as soon as you saw me. Perhaps you remember?” 

 

Jaehyun shook his head. “Am I supposed to remember?”

 

“Never mind. All you need to know for now is that…” the man fidgeted. “You  _ cannot  _ trust my- the pack leader.”

 

“...Why?” Jaehyun asked, befuddled. “I mean, he  _ literally _ -”

 

“If you don’t want to fucking  _ die, _ ” the man interrupted. “Fuck, I don’t even- Well, you’re just a kid. You don’t mean any harm.”

 

“ _ Who are you? _ ” Jaehyun demanded, taking a step back. “What on earth are you even saying?”

 

“Okay, okay, calm down,” the man intervened brusquely.

 

“...What?” Jaehyun felt like he was humoring someone who just wanted to waste his time. He thought about his father, who would probably order him to attack someone like this. The thought almost made him laugh.

 

“Don’t breathe a word of this to anyone, okay, kid- _Jaehyun_? You  _ have  _ to take me seriously. I’m not supposed to be hanging around here,” the man’s eyes bore holes into Jaehyun’s.

 

“Why shouldn’t I?” Jaehyun asked petulantly. “You know yourself that you shouldn’t be here.”

 

The man looked like he was about to have an aneurysm. “I don’t have to be wasting my time on you. I’ve seen how the pack is like now. You  _ need  _ to listen.”

 

Jaehyun stared skeptically back at the man. “Okay.”

 

“Look, give me a chance. I’ll explain everything, everything, if you come back and meet me soon. Actually, as soon as possible, I can’t linger for long.”

 

Companionship sounded tantalizing to Jaehyun, regardless of who it was with, so he agreed immediately. 

 

“Meet me… meet me five days from now. Go to the forest outskirts, I’ll find you there. Don't go any further than that.”

 

\--

 

When Jaehyun returned back to the pack leader’s house, it was vacant. None of the lights were on. That was strange, considering it was already late at night.

 

He disregarded it and wearily headed immediately to his room, setting his backpack down and hurling himself onto his bed, where he fell asleep instantly.

 

\--

 

Johnny’s lips taste candy sweet when he presses them against Ten’s own, just as sweet as they were when they first kissed.

 

Ten makes a noise of contentment, bringing a hand up to cup Johnny’s jaw, the other to run through his matted brown hair. His heat was fading away, as was Johnny’s rut, this morning. It was a fairly reasonable amount of time, and Ten was honestly grateful. He was exhausted and he was sure his mate felt the same. 

 

He feels Johnny’s large hands over his hips. “One more time, I mean, if you want to?”

 

Ten sighs. “How the actual  _ fuck _ do you still have enough energy to knot me?”

 

“I don’t,” Johnny responds casually. “I run on sheer willpower.”

 

Ten silences Johnny with another kiss. “Save it for next year, or maybe after I rest up. I really am tired, baby.” He noses at Johnny’s neck apologetically.

 

“Mmh, it’s okay,” Johnny pecks him on the forehead affectionately. “You deserve to get some rest.”

 

“How much time passed?” Ten asks, staring at Johnny’s eyes. When he was in human form, they were dark brown, much like his own. However, when he was in wolf form, they were a shocking gold color. 

 

“Hm? Oh,” Johnny squints at his watch. “Three- no wait, four days have passed. Holy shit, how on earth did that happen?” 

 

Ten gives him a coy smile. “I don’t know, Johnny, how did that happen?”

 

They fall silent, and Ten feels drowsier and drowsier. Ten snuggles closer to Johnny, fitting his smaller frame into Johnny’s side before falling asleep again.

 

\--

 

Hansol carelessly threw on a loose shirt and a pair of boxers before stumbling into the kitchenette and filling a mug with some water. 

 

He languidly brought the rim of the mug to his parched lips, thirstily drinking. His eyes surveyed his surroundings, sweeping over the wonky design of his current house. It wasn’t even something he built- it was an old, dilapidated house that was given to Hansol after its former owner’s passing, because everyone knew he was a lost cause when it came to building things.

 

Now that Sicheng’s managed to beat some of his knowledge into Hansol’s head, he’s feeling a bit more confident about building a new home together with Yuta. 

 

A pair of willowy arms wrapped around his waist, hands locking together in the front. “Why did you get up?” a sleep-laden voice mumbled peevishly.

 

“Sorry,  _ sunshine _ ,” Hansol apologized, leaning into his mate’s touch. “I was just drinking water. Did I wake you up?”

 

“I dunno,” Yuta buried his face into Hansol’s back, relishing in his warmth. “My head kind of hurts, so it wasn’t really your fault, I guess.”

 

“Mm, then maybe you should go back to bed,” Hansol set the mug down, turning around and taking his hands. Yuta tiptoed a little bit, draping his arms over Hansol’s shoulders. He was about three-quarters of a head shorter than Hansol on a good day (not that he would ever admit it) and it took a bit of effort on his part if he didn’t want to be put in an awkward position. “Are you feeling sick?”

 

“Not really, I think it’ll get better,” he murmured. “I am hungry, though… I don’t think the stores are open yet, are they?”

 

“I don’t think they’re open, but I think most- I think most of the other pack members are already up and about. I can hear the usual chatter outside,” Hansol responded. “Anyways, what do you want to eat?”

 

Yuta’s face scrunched up for a moment. “I don’t know. Actually, never mind. I’m feeling kind of tired right now, but sleeping doesn’t seem to work. Can I go see Kun?”

 

“If you’re sure,” Hansol sighed waveringly. “Come back before dinner, alright, baby?”

 

\--

 

Sicheng was back at work again, assisting newly mated couples in building their new homes together. He was known to be one of the best handymen in the entire pack; obviously he would be called upon to help. Kun was proud of him, but he couldn’t help but feel lonely sometimes.

 

He strummed lazily at the expertly crafted guitar Sicheng had made him before mating season had begun. To be honest, Kun had already pretty much figured it all out before he had even given it to him- he knew him too well. Kun ran his fingers over the beautiful designs Sicheng had taken painstaking amounts of time and care to paint onto the wooden surface.

 

“Kun, are you home?” A knock came at the door.

 

“Is it you, Yuta?” Kun’s ears perked up at the voice.

 

“Mm-hm,” Yuta called through the door. “Can I come in?”

 

“Yeah, ‘door’s unlocked,” Kun replied quickly, putting the guitar away. “Hurry inside, it’s really cold out there.”

 

The door swung open and Yuta stepped inside, taking off his shoes and neatly setting them down side-by-side at next to the door. He headed towards Kun and plopped down onto the couch next to him.

 

“Wow, you look pretty tired,” Kun commented concernedly, before joking. “Had a little too much fun with Hansol back there or what?”

 

Yuta didn’t respond, instead curling into Kun’s side. “Is that the gift Sicheng made you this year?” he asked, eyeing the guitar admiringly.

 

“Yeah, isn’t it nice?” Kun murmured, staring at it proudly. “I can’t believe it’s mine.”

 

“Mm,” Yuta agreed. “It’s really beautiful.”

 

Kun smiled softly, gaze dragging back onto Yuta. He was wearing a large black crew, obviously a couple sizes too big for him. The collar was loose, hanging off his neck and revealing an angry mark near his collarbone.  _ So they were officially mates now _ , Kun noticed, also noting that Yuta smelled a lot more like Hansol than he usually did today.

 

“So what brings you here, Yuta?” Kun asked. 

 

“I dunno,” Yuta shrugged. “I guess I just missed you.” Kun raised an eyebrow, amused. 

 

“I’m flattered,” Kun responded unsurely, a smile pulling at his lips. Yuta didn’t really act like this, although Kun didn’t question him.

 

They started talking about small, trivial matters, and Yuta hoped it would make him feel better. Ever since he and Hansol had mated, he felt drained- it wasn’t uncommon, but it wasn’t like he  _ wanted  _ to feel that way. 

 

“Hey, are you feeling alright? Are you hungry?” Kun asked suddenly. “Did you eat before coming here?”

 

Yuta shook his head, and Kun held him by the shoulders, staring straight at his eyes. “To which one of my questions?”

 

“... Both, I guess,” Yuta admitted, sighing. He rubbed at his eyes wearily. “But don’t bother getting me food, I don’t have an appetite right now. I’ll be alright, Kun.” He gives his friend a grateful smile.

 

“Did you get sick?” Kun habitually places the back of his hand to Yuta’s forehead.

 

“I’ve been having headaches, but it’s probably because it’s so cold these days, y’know?” Yuta mumbles. “I didn’t sleep spectacularly well, either.”

 

Kun bites his lip in contemplation. “Yeah, maybe,” he admits with a shrug. “That makes sense. You’ll feel better in a day or two, then- just make sure to get a lot of rest.”

 

\--

 

“... And that’s it,” Sicheng says as he hands the large coat to Hansol.

 

“God, thank you  _ so  _ much. It’s beautifully made, Sicheng, I think he’ll adore it,” Hansol responds gratefully, running his hands over the fur. “I mean, I would have wanted to help you- I’m amazed with how quickly you work- but you know what happened.”

 

“No, it’s no problem,” Sicheng shakes his head, giving Hansol a smile. “You’re usually the one helping me, this is just me returning the favor for you. You did quite a number on that bear, though, so it took a little extra time for me to fix those parts.”

 

Hansol snorts. “More like that bear did a number on  _ me _ .”

 

“Fair enough,” Sicheng says with a grin. “I’m just glad that you’re alright now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience.


	13. Modicum

Hansol pushed the wooden door open, struggling a bit because of the distorted shape. Inside, Yuta’s scent was laced with exhaustion and Hansol closed the door gently behind himself, setting down the large coat on a chair and walking over to his bedroom, where Yuta was resting.

 

His jaw was clenched tightly, as if in frustration, and Hansol kneeled down beside the bed and gently put a hand to his forehead. Yuta’s skin felt a little bit warmer than it was usual, and Hansol furrowed his eyebrows. 

 

He paced the room a couple times. There wasn’t really anything he could do that he knew Yuta hadn’t tried already.

 

“... Kun?” Yuta croaked, throat dry. Hansol froze mid-step. 

 

“... Yuta, did I wake you up? I’m really sorry, babe, you can go back to sleep,” Hansol apologized profusely, getting ready to leave the room. Yuta made a confused expression, opening his eyes to see who it really was.

 

“Hansol,” Yuta whined sleepily, stretching his arms out of the blankets. “Come here.”

 

Hansol obediently walked over and got underneath the blankets. “Babe, y’know you’re kind of warm. Did you get sick?”

 

“Hm, am I?” Yuta asked, pressing his forehead against Hansol’s cooler one. “I don’t think I’m sick, though. I mean, I don’t feel  _ that _ warm right now. It’s probably just because I’ve been sleeping.”

 

“Well… you mentioned you weren’t feeling amazing in the morning,” Hansol brought up, lifting an eyebrow. “Y’know what, maybe I should take you to the infirm-”

 

“God, I hate that place,” Yuta grumbled in protest. “I’m sure I’ll get better in a few days, I’m probably just tired. I’ll rest up, Hansol, I swear. If I don’t get better, then I’ll let you take me there, do we have a deal?”

 

Hansol sighed. Yuta was stubborn when it came to things like these, so there was no point in arguing. “Deal. Wait, I forgot to get something, lemme get up.”

 

Yuta’s hand clung onto his sleeve weakly, and Hansol sighed before picking him up off the bed and walking out the bedroom. “It’s for you, anyways,” Hansol murmured as he ambled back into the living room.

 

“What?” Yuta asked hazily. 

 

“You’ll see, baby,” Hansol said, a smile playing at his lips. “Don’t you remember?”

 

“Am I s’pposed to remember?” Yuta asked irritatedly, wrapping his arms tighter around Hansol’s neck and pressing his face to his chest. He could hear his mate’s heart beating steadily underneath the thin fabric of his white shirt.

 

Hansol gave him an ambiguous response before setting him down on the couch. He picked up the large coat laying nearby and held it in front of his mate, awaiting his response.

 

Yuta blinked at it for a moment. “... Is that what I think it is?” He asked, eyes wide.

 

“Yeah,” Hansol replied anxiously, chewing on his lower lip. “Yes, it is. What do you-”

 

“You  _ idiot _ ,” Yuta wheezed. “ _ Chasing after a bear for a coat _ .” He stopped himself for a second. “I love you so much, you big oaf. How did you make it into a coat, though? I mean…”

 

“Actually,” Hansol admitted, “it was Sicheng. You know I wouldn’t trust anyone else for such an important job. I’m sorry, I would have tried to help him, but… well, I kind of was in the hospital.”

 

“Well, it’s  _ perfect _ . He did a great job,” Yuta grinned, taking the material in his hands and feeling how soft it was. “At last, I’ll have something to protect me from your clammy-ass hands and your terrible heating.” 

 

Hansol gave him a look. “Well, I’m glad you appreciate my effort,” he rolled his eyes in exaggerated exasperation.

 

“I sure do,” Yuta murmured admiringly, setting the large coat aside, and throwing his arms around Hansol’s shoulders. “ _ I love you. _ ” He pressed their mouths together, kissing his mate tenderly. There were butterflies in his stomach, ones he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

 

\--

 

Ten and Johnny sat in the clinic together, anxiously waiting. They didn’t speak, because quite frankly, they already knew what the other was going to say in response. 

 

Today was the day  _ the  _ result would be announced. 

 

Ten fidgeted, biting his fingernails. Tension was rolling off his body in waves, bleeding into his scent, and Johnny gently pulled his smaller hand away from his mouth and took it in his own, squeezing it wordlessly.

 

There was a knock at the examination room’s door and Ten’s scent spiked, although his face didn’t show any visible changes. The nurse gave them an indescribable look, and Johnny somehow knew it  _ wasn’t _ and-

 

“-It came back negative, didn’t it, sir?” Ten asked, voice surprisingly confident. Johnny’s heart nearly stopped right there, and he gave Ten a bewildered look.

 

The man blinked once at Ten, before nodding.

 

“I’m very sorry. You can always try again next year. Never lose hope, guys.”

 

Ten looked like he was going to say something, but he refrained. “Alright. Are we free to leave now?” 

 

Johnny opened his mouth confusedly, glancing at the nurse, although he wasn’t sure what to ask. 

 

The man nodded again, almost relieved that he didn’t have to deal with a bombardment of questions, or perhaps just a storm surge of emotions. “There’s nothing else we need to say. You can leave.”

 

“Thank you for your services, sir,” Ten muttered. Johnny glimpsed at the look of near devastation on his face before deciding the best thing to do now was to get the hell out of the clinic and go home. He had barely even comprehended the information himself, everything was happening too quickly.

 

It had been the pregnancy test.

 

Ten and Johnny had decided to go and get checked, but now that Johnny thought back, Ten had kept silent the entire time, which was quite uncharacteristic of him. 

 

As they walked back home from the clinic, Ten kept a fair distance from his mate. A thought formed in Johnny’s head, making him feel even more distressed than he already did.

 

Johnny quickened his pace and moved towards Ten. 

 

“Ten, you know I’m not…” Johnny called, not really knowing where he was going with that. “You know…”

 

“What is it?” Ten asked quietly.

 

“I’m not mad at you... about  _ anything _ . This wasn’t anyone’s fault, you know? It definitely wasn’t yours, so don’t blame yourself for anything. Like the nurse said, we have many opportunities in the future.”

 

Ten pursed his lips, lowering his eyes. They arrived at their house, and Ten sullenly opened the door, letting Johnny walk inside before he entered as well, shutting it gently behind him.

 

After a moment of stillness, Johnny took Ten into his arms and held him tightly, burying his face into his hair. He felt Ten go rigid for a second before relaxing.

 

“I can smell your disappointment,” Ten mumbled. “Although I don’t really blame you.”

 

“Well, baby, you must be scenting yourself, then,” Johnny replied calmly. “I mean, you can’t say I’m thrilled, but you  _ definitely _ can’t tell yourself that I’m mad at you, because I’m not.” 

 

Ten sighed softly. “... Alright.”

  
  


\--

  
  
  
  


“How’d you know?” Johnny questioned cautiously. “That it was… negative, I mean.”

 

“I just did, Johnny,” Ten replied wistfully. “I could feel it.”

  
  
  
  


\--

 

It’s warmer today, Jaehyun notes as he gets out of bed. He was exhausted, and waking up to face the new day only made him feel more weary. Today, he was to meet that person- the one whom he had encountered in the forest that day.

 

He was torn between trusting him and  _ not  _ trusting him. Here, in this unfamiliar place, he still didn’t know anybody well enough yet.

 

Perhaps that person had forgotten about him, he thought to himself. It was probably better for him not to go out and meet him, anyways.

 

But looking around at his dismal surroundings, he decided to give it a chance. It was better than staying back at the alpha’s house and doing nothing again for an entire day.

 

He was getting restless.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave kudos + comments!
> 
> \--
> 
> FIND ME @ euphemitter.tumblr.com.


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